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.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
Illustrative purposes only: A woman lights candles in her apartment as the city has had no electricity or water since the Russian retreat on Nov. 16, 2022, in Kherson, Ukraine. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was updated with a statement from Ukrenergo
The southern city of Kherson has completely lost electricity, Roman Mrochko, the city's military administration head, said on Oct. 16.
"According to preliminary information, the entire city was cut off. The reasons are being determined," Mrochko said on Telegram.
The same morning, power outages were reported in Mykolaiv Oblast, which is neighboring Kherson Oblast.
"Many people have lost electricity. We identified the source. There was no strike. We will fix it in a couple of hours if there are no further surprises," Governor Vitalii Kim said.
Ukraine's state-owned energy company Ukrenergo said later during the day that the outages were caused by unspecified "technical reasons" and that the repairs are underway. The energy supply should resume "within hours."
While the officials did not link the recent outages to Russian strikes, cities and villages across Ukraine have experienced regular blackouts as a result of attacks against the energy grid during the full-scale war.
Russia launched over 130 Shahed-type drones against Ukraine overnight on Oct. 16, in addition to missiles and other weaponry. Both Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts suffered attacks.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kateryna Denisova
