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.
The Polish and German governments have so far failed to agree on opening a maintenance center in Poland to repair Leopard tanks supplied to Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported on July 2.
Poland and Germany cannot agree on several key issues of the repair facility, the cost of which could reach 150 million euros, according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
One of the controversial issues is the cost of the initial diagnostics of tanks.
Polish defense company PGZ intended to charge 100,000 euros for such diagnostics but in Germany the price is almost ten times lower.
However, according to Der Spiegel, German tank manufacturers consider the controversy surrounding the project to be politically motivated, as Poland's ruling Law and Justice party regularly makes statements against the German government.
On July 3, Pistorius will hold a meeting with Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak to discuss the tank project during a visit to a Patriot air defense system in the Polish city of Zamość.
The project was supposed to involve two German tank manufacturers, Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, as well as PGZ, or Polish Armaments Group.
The repair facility was expected to be created at factories in two Polish cities, Gliwice and Poznan, and the costs of repairs would be covered by the German government.
To date, several damaged Leopard tanks have already arrived in Poland from Ukraine.
Asami Terajima
