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.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in July, 2023. (Photo by Russian Defense Minister/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Russian Defense Ministry has changed its reporting system to limit the amount of information it releases about Russia's war in Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Aug. 29 report.
The ministry also appears to be "attempting to censor complaints along the front line and reports of Ukrainian advances," the ISW said.
According to the ISW, the ministry previously published a daily report of its own that differed in some aspects from the updates sent separately by each group of Russian forces.
However, on Aug. 29, the press services of all groupings issued the ministry's daily report rather than their individual summaries.
The change "may reflect [the ministry's] wider efforts to censor Russian reporting on the war and unify its own narrative," the ISW said.
It is not clear yet if the change will become standard policy going forward, but if it does, more limited reports on activities at the front lines will be released in the Russian information space.
On Aug. 28, the ISW reported that the ministry had angered ultranationalist factions in Russia by attemping to silence criticism of commanders at the southern front.
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.
Asami Terajima
