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.
China's President Xi Jinping (L) is welcomed by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (R) during the opening ceremony of "The Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia" in Moscow, on March 22, 2013. (Sergei Ilnitskii / POOL / AFP)
Supplies of semiconductors and other dual-use goods shipped through China and Hong Kong to Russia have fallen by a fifth in 2024, even though both remain key transshipment hubs, Reuters reported on July 22, citing data from the U.S. Commerce Department.
China has positioned itself as neutral in the ongoing war but has deepened economic ties with Russia and become Moscow's leading source of dual-use goods, feeding the Russian defense industry.
Various countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., have accused China of continuously aiding Russia's war machine in Ukraine.
Deliveries of Common High Priority Items (CHPL) – advanced components, such as microelectronics, that the U.S. and EU believe could be used in Russia's war in Ukraine – through Hong Kong fell by 28% between January and May this year.
For the same period, transshipments of those items through mainland China, excluding Hong Kong, dropped by 19%, Reuters reported, citing an undisclosed U.S. Commerce Department official.
"I think there's some cause for being at least optimistic that we have been able to slow down some of this trade," the official said, but added: "China is still our number one concern."
The U.S. State Department and Treasury Department have imposed several rounds of sanctions on organizations worldwide alleged to have commercial ties to the Russian military, including shell companies involved in diverting semiconductors in Hong Kong.
The decline in illicit flows was the result of several factors, including aggressive law enforcement by the U.S. authorities and engagement with companies whose products are transported across the border, the official said.
"We are talking to any company whose items are showing up on the battlefield," the official said, without giving names.
When contacted by Reuters, the Hong Kong government claimed that it "does not implement, nor do we have the legal authority to take action on, unilateral sanctions imposed by other countries."
The region's authorities also added that, at the Chinese Foreign Ministry's instructions, they were "enforcing vigorously" sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council, including those against North Korea.
Between August and December 2023, over 200 firms registered in Hong Kong shipped nearly $2 billion worth of goods to Russian buyers, according to the customs data from C4ADS, a Washington-based nonprofit organization dedicated to global security.
From August to December 2023, $750 million worth of banned goods were shipped through Hong Kong, ranging from high-tech chips from Nvidia and France's Vectrawave to cheap chips from Texas Instruments and Intel, according to data outlined in a forthcoming report by the Committee for Hong Kong Freedom (CFHK) Foundation and analyzed by Reuters.
Some of the banned goods were sent to Russian firms under sanctions, according to the Committee for Hong Kong Freedom.
"Our research has highlighted numerous instances where Hong Kong-based companies have facilitated the transfer of sensitive technologies and commodities, undermining international security and stability," said Samuel Bickett, a lawyer and author of the CFHK report.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Daria Shulzhenko
