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.
Illustrative photo of flames come out of the tower of an oil refinery plant. (Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The story was updated at 16:50 Kyiv time after several media outlets reported that the attack was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), citing anonymous SBU sources.
The governor of Russia's Samara Oblast reported on March 16 that two Rosneft oil refineries in the area were targeted by Ukrainian drones, resulting in no casualties but leaving one facility on fire.
Ukraine has launched a concerted effort to degrade Russia’s oil production capabilities, targeting refineries across the country. Earlier this week, oil refineries were attacked in Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Leningrad oblasts.
The facilities hit by Ukrainian drones in the past days account for about 12% of Russia’s oil-processing capacity, Bloomberg reported.
The Volga River region's Syzran refinery was on fire, but an attack on the Novokuibyshevsk refinery had been thwarted, regional governor Dmitry Azarov said via Telegram on March 16. There were no casualties, according to him. The Russian city of Samara is located around 850 kilometers southeast of Moscow.
Unverified footage shared by several Telegram channels depicted a significant fire at what appeared to be the Syzran refinery, with emergency services seen at the scene.
Several Ukrainian media outlets reported later on March 16 that, according to their sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), SBU drones carried out successful attacks against the Syzran, Novokuibyshevsk, and Kuibyshevsk oil refineries.
The Kyiv Independent reached out to an SBU representative for comment but did not receive a response at the time of the publication.
According to the SBU sources, the three plants produced around 25 million metric tons of oil per year, representing almost 10% of all oil refining in Russia.
Russia is voting today in three-day presidential elections. Vladimir Putin is running for president for the fifth time, seeking to extend his rule by six more years - until at least 2030.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
