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.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
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.
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.
According to the Dec. 23, 2021 statement by Ukraine's top commander of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Valeriy Zaluzhniy, the Ukrainian military will respond in case of Russia's attacks in the Donbas. (Defense Ministry / Facebook)
The Ukrainian military fully supports the state of ceasefire in the war zone of Donbas, but it will give an appropriate response to any enemy attack, according to Ukraine's top commander of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Valeriy Zaluzhniy.
"Our military keep serving their duties," the general said on Dec. 23. "They guard their homeland, protect civilians and themselves. Or course, if there's a threat to the life and health of military personnel or civilians, the military must act the same way as they did before."
Ukrainian soldiers aren't banned from opening fire in response to attacks by Russian-led militants, the commander added.
"But then again, we are the military, we absolutely support the state of ceasefire that would, of course, give us a chance to avoid possible fatalities," he said.
Amid the ongoing security crisis with Russia, which massed over 100,000 troops surrounding Ukraine threatening a large-scale military action, an internationally-mediated Russian-Ukrainian talks group agreed on Dec. 22 to continue formally sticking to a state of ceasefire declared by the sides in July 2020.
Despite formal armistice, low-intensity hostilities never completely died down, having claimed the lives of over 60 Ukrainian military servicepersons killed in action since then.
The ongoing period nicknamed "the longest ceasefire" has seen a number of controversies. In September 2020, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry even issued an ill-fated decree introducing fines for military personnel opening fire to respond to enemy attacks without a direct order from their commanding officers.
The decree sparked a huge uproar in Ukraine's military community.
According to international estimates, Russia's war in the Donbas has claimed over 13,000 lives since its start in 2014, including 4,500 Ukrainian combatants.
Illia Ponomarenko was a defense and security reporter at the Kyiv Independent in 2021-2023. He has reported about the war in eastern Ukraine since the conflict’s earliest days. He covers national security issues, as well as military technologies, production, and defense reforms in Ukraine. Besides, he gets deployed to the war zone of Donbas with Ukrainian combat formations. He has also had deployments to Palestine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an embedded reporter with UN peacekeeping forces. Illia won the Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellowship and was selected to work as USA Today's guest reporter at the U.S. Department of Defense.
