U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), this marks the first time Ukrainian authorities have exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network conducting activities harmful to Ukraine.
George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
Russian attacks on Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts in the east, south, and north of Ukraine killed five people and wounded six in the past 24 hours, according to local authorities.
Russian forces killed four civilians and injured three in Donetsk Oblast, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor, reported on Jan. 20. Two people were killed in Drobysheve, one in Maksymilianivka, and one in Bakhmut. Russia hit at least 20 settlements in the region, damaging nine private houses and a preschool.
On the morning of Jan. 20, the Russian military launched a missile attack on Kramatorsk, and the missile fell near a kindergarten, Kyrylenko said later. The consequences of the attack are being clarified.
Russian troops struck Kherson Oblast 90 times using artillery, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), mortars, tanks, and drones, killing one person and wounding three, according to Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych. The residential areas in the city of Kherson were hit 19 times, said Yanushevych.
Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram that Russia had attacked more than eight settlements in the region close to the Russian-Ukrainian border with mortars, artillery, and MLRS. The shellings damaged 19 private houses, two highrises, a boarding school, garages, farm buildings, and cars, according to Syniehubov. No casualties were reported.
Russian forces conducted "a record number" of attacks on 21 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in the past 24 hours, said Governor Oleksandr Starukh. Regional authorities received 34 reports about the damages to citizens' households and infrastructure sites. No casualties were reported.
Russian military struck Krasnopillia in Sumy Oblast with mortars and dropped explosives from a drone on the border area on Jan. 19, according to Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky. He said there were no casualties or damage in the attacks.
Russia also hit the Ochakiv community on the Black Sea coast in Mykolaiv Oblast on Jan. 19, Governor Vitalii Kim reported. There were no casualties or damage.
Russian troops attacked nine settlements of Luhansk Oblast, the regional state administration wrote. There was no information on casualties and damage.
