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.
Traditional wooden border post markings for Finland, left, and Russia, right, near the construction site of a section of the initial 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) stretch of border fence near Imatra, in southeast Finland, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (Roni Rekomaa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Finland's parliament passed a law on July 12 granting border guards the authority to block asylum seekers crossing from Russia. This decision followed the arrival of over 1,300 people, prompting Helsinki to close its border.
Finland has accused neighboring Russia of weaponizing migration by encouraging migrants from countries like Syria and Somalia to cross the border, an assertion the Kremlin denies.
Helsinki believes Moscow is promoting the crossings in retaliation for Finland joining NATO, which supports Ukraine against Russia's unprovoked war. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's right-wing government emphasized the bill's importance in preventing future arrivals, even though it conflicts with Finland's international human rights commitments.
"This is a strong message to Russia, a strong message to our allies, that Finland takes care of its own security, we take care of the security of the EU border," Orpo said at a press conference following the vote, according to Reuters.
Since last summer, more than 1,300 asylum seekers have crossed over from Russia, but there had been no new arrivals since March until July 11. After the parliamentary vote, the Finnish Border Guard released a statement reporting that one person had crossed the border illegally that day and applied for asylum after being caught by a border guard.
Finland closed its land borders with Russia late last year.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Owen Racer
