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.
Belarusian border guards patrol along the frontier near the Divin border crossing point between Belarus and Ukraine in the Brest region. Feb. 15, 2023. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed on July 13 that he was ordering the withdrawal of troops from the border with Ukraine, Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta reported.
Minsk reinforced security at the border in late June after a series of alleged "security incidents." Colonel Vadim Lukashevich, a high-ranking Belarusian military official, accused Ukraine of setting up explosives and military equipment near the border in preparation for assaults and terrorist attacks.
Lukashevich didn't provide evidence and the Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
During a meeting in Luninets, Brest Oblast, Lukashenko said that the situation had stabilized and that Ukraine had withdrawn its troops. The Belarusian troops will be relocated to their permanent deployment positions, he said.
“We are not going to fight and are not going to concentrate our armed forces here, except for special operations forces,” Lukashenko added.
However, he warned of potential threats from the western direction, claiming that Belarus is being provoked into entering the war and should be ready.
Belarus is Russia’s closest ally and hosts Russian troops and missiles. However, the Belarusian army is not directly involved in the invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation said in May that it predicted the launch of a new Russian psychological operation about the opening of a new front in the north of Ukraine near the Belarusian border, aimed at "stirring up mass panic" in Ukrainian society.
"We expect a series of provocative statements by the top leadership of Russia and Belarus threatening Ukraine soon," the statementsaid.
Currently, Belarus is hosting joint training exercises with Chinese soldiers, billed as “anti-terrorist training.” They began on July 8 and will finish on July 19.
This follows Belarus’ accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a Eurasian political, economic, and defense organization led by China and Russia.
Dominic is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent. He has written for a number of publications including the Financial Times, bne IntelliNews, Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Euronews and New Eastern Europe. Previously, Dominic worked with StopFake as a disinformation expert, debunking Russian fake news in Europe.
Chris York
