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.
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage, smiles from inside a glass defendants' cage prior to a hearing in Yekaterinburg's Sverdlovsk Regional Court on June 26, 2024. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
The trial for jailed U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been in pre-trial detention in Russia for more than a year on espionage charges, began in Yekaterinburg on June 26.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent crackdown on civil rights, a growing number of U.S. and other Western citizens have been jailed in Russia on dubious charges.
Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg in late March 2023 while working on a story about the Wagner mercenary group's recruiting methods, as well as Russian citizens' views on the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was jailed without charges for over 14 months as authorities repeatedly extended his pre-trial detention.
Russia formally accused Gershkovich of spying for the CIA and finalized his indictment on June 13, announcing that he would finally go to trial. Russian authorities have not publicly released any evidence to support the charges.
Gershkovich appeared in court with his head shaved as the trial began. His employer, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), called the court proceedings "secret," as no independent reporters, friends, family members, or embassy staff will be allowed inside the courtroom.
The trial is expected to last months, and as acquittals in Russia are rare, it is expected to result in a guilty verdict. If convicted, Gershkovich could face up to 20 years in prison.
The day before, WSJ's editor-in-chief Emma Tucker published a letter criticizing the trial as a "travesty of justice" and said, "we already know the conclusion."
"This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man who would then face up to 20 years in prison for simply doing his job."
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also commented on the trial on June 25, saying that he did not "expect a free and fair trial, given that these are charges that never should have been brought in the first place."
Miller said that the U.S. would continue to "do everything we can to try to bring" him and other jailed U.S. citizens home.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in December 2023 that he would be open to negotiating the returnof jailed U.S. citizens, including Gershkovich, under "mutually acceptable" conditions.
Russia has also jailed Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) who has dual Russian and U.S. citizenship, on charges of failing to identify as a foreign agent. Kurmasheva has been in pre-trial detention since October 2023.
Earlier in June, the trial of Ksenia Karelina, who also has dual Russian and U.S. citizenship, began in Yekaterinburg. Karelina has been charged with treason on the grounds that she donated $51.80 to the nonprofit organization Razom for Ukraine.
Katie Marie Davies
