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. 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.
A flag of Austria is seen in Warsaw, Poland on Sept. 13, 2022. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Austria had expelled two Russian diplomats over actions "incompatible with their diplomatic status," the Heute newspaper reported on March 13, citing the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
The Russian officials have been declared "personae non gratae" and have to leave the country at the latest on March 19. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was "outraged" by what it called a "purely political" decision.
The move came shortly after the Falter newspaper reported on a dossier according to which 23 Russian diplomats have been engaged in intelligence activities in Austria.
The document claims that the Russian embassy officials maintained contacts with local parties and politicians to foster Russian influence in the country. According to the dossier, Austria's Former Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who currently lives in Russia, allegedly helped Moscow gain access to information from her ministry.
Russian diplomats were also said to spy on dissidents and opponents of Vladimir Putin's regime living in Austria.
Vienna has denounced Russian aggression against Ukraine and provided Kyiv with economic and humanitarian aid but refused to donate lethal military assistance due to its neutrality policy.
Austria also has close and long-standing economic ties with Russia. The Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International has not left Russia despite sanctions and is one of two foreign banks classified as "systemically important" by the Russian central bank.
The country expelled four Russian diplomats in February 2023, after which Russia expelled four Austria diplomats in retaliation. Four other Russian diplomats had to leave Austria in April 2022.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Elsa Court
