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.
Photo for illustrative purposes. North Korean soldiers march during a rally on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)
A couple hundred North Korean troops have been killed or wounded fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast against Ukraine, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Dec. 17, citing a senior U.S. military official.
The official did not give an exact figure but said the high casualty rate was in part due to the soldiers' lack of battle experience.
Russia has reportedly deployed over 10,000 North Korean troops to help oust Ukrainian troops fighting in Kursk Oblast since early August.
The full extent of North Korean losses is hard to ascertain, as President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is trying to hide the casualties.
Ukraine's Special Operation Forces said that they had killed 50 North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast in three days and injured 47 more.
Despite the losses within Russian and North Korean ranks, the Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Kursk Oblast seem to be increasingly on the back foot, facing a Russian advantage in manpower and equipment.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Dec. 17 that Russian and North Korean forces are carrying out an intensive offensive in Kursk Oblast for the third day in a row.
"For the third day, Russian forces have been conducting intensive offensive operations in Kursk Oblast, actively using North Korean units," Syrskyi said in an online address to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities held in Lviv, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
Citing Ukrainian soldiers, The Economist wrote that Ukraine likely lost around half of the territory it had captured in the initial phase of the operation in August and September.
An officer talking to the outlet connected this development to the redeployment of elite units that first spearheaded the offensive.
Ukraine likely seeks to hold on to a piece of Russian territory as a possible bargaining chip ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's expected push for peace negotiations.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Chris York
