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.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal attends the government meeting on Dec. 29, 2021. (kmu.gov.ua)
The Cabinet of Ministers has extended duties on Russian energy imports until Dec. 31, 2022, according to news outlet Ekonomichna Pravda.
The Dec. 29 decision will renew existing duties which were set to expire on Dec. 31. This includes a 4% duty on diesel fuel, 3% on liquid petroleum gas (LPG), and 65% on certain types of coal.
The decision does not extend to electricity or thermal and coking coal imports.
The import of electricity from Russia and Belarus imposed in May expired on Nov. 1, after which Ukraine restarted imports from Belarus, but not Russia.
The Cabinet of Ministers announcement does not rule out renewed electricity imports from Russia. There is yet to be any new ruling on limiting electricity imports from Belarus or Russia.
On Dec. 28, the parliamentary committee on energy, housing, and communal services proposed an alternative flat 4-5% duty on diesel, LPG, thermal coal, and electricity to replace the duties that were set to expire in December.
Until recently, Ukraine was reliant on Russia for most of its energy needs. In 2020, 70% of Ukraine’s coal imports came from Russia, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Coal deliveries were halted by Russia in early November as part of its energy blackmail of Ukraine. Russia also blocked trains carrying coal from Kazakhstan.
Coal generates 30% of Ukraine’s electricity, and is used alongside natural gas as fuel during the winter heating season.
Many critics believe that reliance on imported Russian energy poses a threat to national security.
In 2014, Russia occupied Ukrainian Crimea and invaded the country’s eastern Donbas region. Over the seven years of Russia’s war, more than 13,000 people have been killed.
Dylan Carter is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. He studied modern languages at the University College of London and Paris Sorbonne IV. He worked as an assistant lecturer at the Kyiv School of Economics and at Ukrinform before joining the Kyiv Post in June 2021.
