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.
Former Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko. (Oleksandr Onyshchenko/Facebook)
The High Anti-Corruption Court sentenced in absentia former Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko to 15 years in prison with a confiscation of property, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said on April 5.
Onyshchenko was found guilty of organizing the so-called "gas scheme," one of the largest corruption schemes in Ukraine's history, which caused losses to the country in the total amount of about Hr 3 billion ($76.5 million).
Onyshchenko headed a criminal group that embezzled more than Hr 1.6 billion ($40.8 million) from the sale of natural gas between January 2013 and June 2016, according to the investigation.
As a result, the state-owned public joint stock company, Ukrgazvydobuvannya, suffered losses of about Hrn 740 million ($19 million), which were received by companies controlled by Onyshchenko, according to NABU.
Another defendant, Onyshchenko's financial director, Olena Pavlenko, was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison with a confiscation of property.
The investigation established the involvement of 29 people in the gas scheme. Eight suspects pleaded guilty and accepted plea agreements.
Onyshchenko has been hiding from justice abroad since 2016. He was detained and placed in custody in Germany in 2019. The German court refused to extradite Onyshchenko to Ukraine. He was denied political asylum and asked to leave the country.
In 2021, the ex-lawmaker said he had obtained Russian citizenship.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Dinara Khalilova
