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.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (L) welcomes Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo upon arrival at the Prague Castle where the European Summit will take place in Prague, Czechia, on Oct. 6, 2022. (Joe Klamar / AFP via Getty Images)
The governments of Belgium and Czechia sent a letter to other EU leaders on April 17 calling for new restrictive measures against Russia over its disinformation activities within the European bloc.
Both countries shared the results of their investigation into a Russian disinformation and influence network that was first uncovered by Czech security services in March.
Prague said that pro-Russian actors, including former Ukrainian lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk, were spreading pro-Kremlin narratives and paying off Moscow-friendly European politicians ahead of the elections for the European Parliament through the Voice of Europe website.
The Belgian intelligence confirmed "the existence of a pro-Russian interference network with activities in Belgium," read the letter signed by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and his Czech counterpart, Petr Fiala.
"The network's activities are aimed, among other things, at promoting cooperation between pro-Russian politicians within the European Parliament, helping to elect more pro-Russian candidates to the Parliament, and appointing people active within this network as employees of (newly elected) MEPs."
The activities involved cash handovers, mainly in Czechia, according to the statement.
The two EU members said they planned to raise the issue at the European Council on April 17-18 and called for a "new EU restrictive measure regime aimed to counter Russian malign activities."
Fiala and De Croo also suggested expanding the mandates of the European Public Prosecutor's Office and the European Anti-Fraud Office to prosecute the interference.
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.
Martin Fornusek
