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.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
An employee works on the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle in Rheinmetall's production facility on June 6, 2023. (Photo: Philipp Schulze/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Germany's regulatory agency approved on Sept. 28 the plans of the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall to set up a joint venture in Kyiv together with the Ukrainian Defense Industry, Ukraine's state-owned defense company.
This new enterprise will provide "maintenance, assembly, production, and development of military vehicles" and initially operate exclusively on the territory of Ukraine, the German Federal Cartel Office said.
"The defense industry is in flux given the geopolitical situation," said Andreas Mundt, the agency's president.
"This project will not result in any competitive overlaps in Germany. We gave our approval quickly."
Rheinmetall said that the first steps in the cooperation will focus on the maintenance and repair of vehicles transferred to Ukraine as part of Germany's multilateral "Ringtausch" equipment exchange program.
Under this scheme, European allies are providing Ukraine with older Soviet equipment in exchange for German armaments.
As the next step, Rheinmetall wants to manufacture select products in Ukraine and even develop military systems by joint German-Ukrainian specialist teams further in the future.
In May, the German arms manufacturer presented plans to set up a joint venture with Ukraine's state defense contractor to produce Fuchs armored personnel carriers. Later in the summer, Rheinmetall said it wanted to open an armored vehicle plant on Ukrainian territory.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
