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.
Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project cut production from its gas fields to almost zero in November after halting liquefaction last month due to Western sanctions, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 12, citing its undisclosed sources.
Arctic LNG 2, owned by Russia's Novatek company, aims to produce almost 20 million metric tons of liquified natural gas (LNG) per year to sell primarily to Asian markets, potentially generating billions of dollars in revenue.
It was envisaged as Russia's largest LNG plant and a flagship project to help the country become the world's leading LNG producer.
The fields supplying the plant pumped an average of 0.4 million cubic meters of gas per day in the first ten days of November, Bloomberg reported, citing a person with knowledge of industry data.
This is a drop of more than 90% from the average production in October, according to Bloomberg's calculations.
This figure is also the lowest average production level for the Russian project since at least September 2023. Back in the fourth quarter of last year, even during the commissioning and start-up of the first line of Arctic LNG 2, its fields produced from 2 million to almost 14 million cubic meters per day.
Arctic LNG 2 is key to Russia's efforts to increase LNG exports and develop the Northern Sea Route. Over the past year, it has been the target of several waves of Western sanctions.
The U.S. State Department announced sanctions against two vessels and two entities connected to Russia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project on Sept. 5.
American sanctions previously targeted the Arctic LNG 2 project in a round of sanctions in late August, likely forcing Novatek to scale back the plans. Novatek itself was sanctioned after the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The Financial Times reported in July that Russia is likely expanding its "ghost fleet" of tankers, created primarily to avoid Western oil sanctions, to LNG exports as well.
Anders Åslund
