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.
Infantry training of Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast, Aug. 11, 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Pro-war Russian bloggers are complaining of poor Russian morale and personnel failures after Ukrainian troops made gains in Urozhaine, Donetsk Oblast, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Aug. 13 report.
Criticisms of Russian brigades in Donetsk arose after Ukrainian forces advanced in the area of Urozhaine on Aug. 10. One author claimed that Russian soldiers "prematurely withdrew" because "the unit's personnel were drunk," the ISW reported.
While some objected to this characterization, other voices in the Russian information space echoed and expanded these complaints, according to the ISW.
One author attributed Russian defensive failures on the front to the dismissal of a unit commander, Major General Ivan Popov.
The bloggers "targeted their complaints at the personnel of these units rather than the unit or theater commanders, suggesting that Popov’s removal and other rumored command purges may have removed mid-level Russian military commanders as a readily available scapegoat for Russian military failures," the ISW wrote.
The ISW also said that Russian commander Alexander Khodakovsky, who leads a battalion near Urozhaine, acknowledged on Aug. 13 that "Russia expended its resources too early in the war."
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Oleg Sukhov
