(Updated: )Victory Day
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Friday, May 9
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.
Friday, May 9
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.
(Updated: )
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.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
The responses by Russian officials and military bloggers to the recent raid in Belgorod Oblast reveal rising anxiety within the Russian information space about the war, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update on June 1.
The incursion into Belgorod Oblast was organized on June 1 by Russian-born militants claiming to be fighting on Ukraine's side. It caused caused evacuations from the attacked region, with Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reportedly preparing the evacuation of 1,200 residents.
Gladkov also announced that 200 out of the planned 800 children have been evacuated.
According to the Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin awarded the Order of Courage to Vladimir Zhdanov, the head of the Shebekino district, where most of the hostilities took place.
This indicates that the Kremlin is trying to frame these minor incursions as an "existential" threat to mobilize domestic support for the war, the ISW assessed.
Military bloggers and pro-war hardliners like Igor Girkin used the incursion to criticize the Russian leadership.
Girkin claims that any response by Moscow will come too late, as it wasted its reserves in 2022, failed to transition to the war economy, and did not institute martial law.
Other bloggers argued that the raids are a Ukrainian effort to divert Russian forces from important sectors in Ukraine just before the counteroffensive.
Belgorod incursion: Meet the anti-Kremlin militia behind the attack inside Russia
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent, together with a number of journalists, was taken to a location in northern Ukraine to interview the members of the units that took part in the military operation inside Russia. Not revealing the exact location was the only precondition for the interview. Norther…
Asami Terajima
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