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 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov holds a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Jan. 24, 2024.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the crash of a Russian Il-76 transport plane in Belgorod Oblast on Jan. 24 that was allegedly carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Russian authorities confirmed earlier that the plane had crashed and later claimed that 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were on board. Ukraine has not confirmed that was the case, although Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) verified that a prisoner swap was planned for Jan. 24.
Speaking at the UN in New York, Lavrov called the plane crash a "terrorist attack" and held Ukraine responsible.
He repeated the claim that Ukrainian POWs were on board and said that all 65 were killed, along with three Russian officers and six crew members.
Lavrov alleged that Ukrainian air defenses operating in Kharkiv Oblast targeted the plane in a "fatal strike."
He went on to repeat debunked claims that Ukraine had staged the Bucha massacre, in which hundreds of Ukrainian civilians were murdered by Russian soldiers outside of Kyiv shortly after the beginning of the full-scale invasion in March 2022.
Lavrov asked France, which currently holds the chair of the UN Security Council, to call for an emergency session.
Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the plane crash.
The HUR said that Russia had not informed it about the need to ensure the safety of the airspace in the area, as it had done "repeatedly" in past prisoner exchanges.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Nate Ostiller
