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.
Flags at the entrance to Avdiivka on Oct. 26, 2023. Fighting has intensified in recent days after Russia launched a major offensive here earlier this month. (Kostya Liberov / Libkos via Getty Images)
Russian troops have made confirmed gains on Avdiivka’s northern flank in Donetsk Oblast, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in their latest assessment.
Geolocated footage published on Nov. 3 indicates that Russian forces advanced southwest of Krasnohorivka, some four kiloemetrs north of Avdiivka towards the railway line north of the city.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces continued to resist Russian advances near Avdiivka and repelled more than 17 Russian assaults near Stepove (three kilometres north of Avdiivka), Sieverne (six kilometers west of Avdiivka), Tonenke (seven kilometers west of Avdiivka), and Pervomaiske (11 kilometers southwest of Avdiivka).
The Tavria group of forces' spokesperson, Oleksandr Shtupun, later said that there were no active combat engagements near Avdiivka but that Ukrainian forces expect ”the situation to worsen” in the area.
Avdiivka City Military Administration Head Vitaliy Barabash reported that Russian forces are heavily shelling Ukrainian positions in Avdiivka and that infantry battles are ongoing north and south of the settlement. In the meantime, a Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces made unspecified advances southeast of Avdiivka as of Nov. 3.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
