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 U.S. State Department will provide $1 million to support the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine (ICPA), spokesperson Matthew Miller announced on Nov. 14.
The ICPA will collect evidence in the first step to the creation of a special tribunal on Russian aggression as a whole, as the ICC only has the mandate to investigate individual cases of war crimes.
The center was launched in July 2023 at the office of Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, in The Hague.
The ICPA was established with the support of the European Commission and is made up of prosecutors from Ukraine, the EU, the U.S., and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"As Russia continues to blatantly violate international law," the U.S. "remains focused on working with Ukraine and the international community to hold accountable those responsible for international crimes committed in Ukraine," Miller said.
The ICPA will provide a platform for the sharing of evidence and allow Ukraine and partner countries "to collaborate in building the strongest possible cases for future prosecution."
The ICC opened a field office in Kyiv in September to "increase the effectiveness and efficiency of responding to the crimes that Russia continues to commit against Ukraine and Ukrainians every day," Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said.
"We are doing our utmost to ensure that the ICC experts can see the aftermath of the aggressor's crimes with their own eyes and draw their independent conclusions," Kostin said.
Anastasiia Malenko
