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.
Ukrainian servicemen fire a French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzer toward Russian positions in eastern Ukraine on Dec. 28, 2022. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images)
French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu signed a deal with his Armenian counterpart Suren Papikyan for France to sell Armenia Caesar howitzers, Lecornu wrote on X on June 18.
The announcement did not say how many Caesar howitzers would be included in the deal, or when they might start arriving in the country.
France has supplied Ukraine with dozens of Caesar howitzers, a self-propelled artillery system capable of hitting targets up to 55 kilometers (34 miles) away.
As Armenia's relations with longtime ally Russia have plunged to their lowest point since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenia has openly sought to establish new defense partnerships.
Shortly after Azerbaijan's successful offensive in September 2023 to reclaim the Nagorno-Karabakh region, recognized by international law as a part of Azerbaijan but de-facto under the control of the ethnic Armenian self-proclaimed republic since the early 1990s, France and Armenia announced a new defense partnership.
Pashinyan announced on June 12 that Armenia would withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance consisting of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
"We will leave," Pashinyan told the Armenian parliament, accusing the CSTO of plotting "against us with Azerbaijan."
"We will decide when to leave. We won't come back, there is no other way," Pashinyan said.
According to Politico, a cache of letters, diplomatic notes, bills of sale, and export passports show that Belarus supplied "advanced military hardware to Azerbaijan between 2018 and 2022."
The move is likely regarded as a "bitter betrayal" by Armenia as the supplies gave Baku the "upper hand" in its conflict with Yerevan, Politico said.
The help Belarus reportedly provided to Azerbaijan ranged from supplying artillery targeting equipment and new gear for electronic warfare to modernizing artillery equipment.
Martin Fornusek
