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.
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna attends the Acting for Survivors event on June 15, 2023. (Eugen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Kyiv will continue promoting a decision to implement a complete ban on imports of Russian grain into the European Union and has reasons to believe Hungary will not block such a move, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said in an interview with European Pravda.
When asked why she thinks the European Commission did not take more robust measures, like a complete import ban, Stefanishyna said that such a decision "needs a longer discussion in the EU."
"Instead, the emphasis was now on responding promptly to the situation. However, introducing additional tariffs does not exclude the fact that a decision on a ban may also be made later. And Ukraine will continue to promote it," she told European Pravda.
Stefanishyna suggested this decision may be adopted in the fall if Hungary, which has repeatedly opposed sanctions against Russia, will approve it.
Kyiv has reasons to believe that "the Hungarian side will play a positive role and help solve this problem," according to the deputy prime minister.
"I think that Hungary can positively surprise us in this direction. Because we have agreements with Budapest within the framework of the Ukrainian agricultural import licensing mechanism," she added.
"And as part of the dialogue on the preparation of the meeting of the leaders — President Zelensky and PM Orban — some agreements are already being implemented, including the opening of new (border) checkpoints. There is also a successful dialogue regarding other infrastructure projects."
European imports of grains, oil seeds, and their derivatives from Russia reached a record of 4 million metric tons in 2023, which is 1% of the total EU consumption, according to the Financial Times.
Igor Kossov
