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.
Armenian lawmakers attend a plenary session at the parliament in Yerevan on October 3, 2023. (Karen Minasyan / AFP via Getty Images)
Armenia invited Russia to sign a bilateral agreement that would allow Yerevan to bypass rules relating to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, according to local media reports on Nov. 2.
Armenia recently ratified the ICC's Rome Statute, making it one of 124 countries obliged to arrest Putin if he sets foot in the country, after he was issued with an ICC arrest warrant in March 2023 for his role in the mass deportation of Ukrainian children.
Armenia's proposal to Russia was made "several months before the ratification," Hakob Arshakyan, the deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament, reportedly told a parliamentary briefing.
The agreement would have ensured that "ratification would not affect our relations." Yerevan has not yet received a response from Moscow, according to Arshakyan.
"However, there is still enough time before the Rome Statute comes into force," the deputy speaker said.
On Oct.3, the Armenian parliament voted to ratify the Rome Statute. Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan then ratified the statute, Armenia's Presidential Office announced on Oct. 13.
The ruling enters into force 60 days after signing.
Armenia first signed the Rome Statute in 1998 but failed to ratify it. The process resumed in 2022.
The treaty's ratification comes in the wake of Azerbaijan's victory over the self-declared ethnic Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which was defeated by Azerbaijani forces on Sept. 20.
Russian "peacekeepers" were stationed in the area to stop violence between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, but did nothing to prevent Azerbaijan's Sept. 20 offensive. Tensions between Armenia and their long-time ally Russia have since risen.
The ICC asserts that there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that Putin holds direct accountability for supervising the deportations and that he neglected to exert authority over Russian soldiers and civilians executing the crime across occupied Ukrainian regions from the onset of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine.
Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of Ukrainian children to Russia, was also issued an arrest warrant by the ICC in March 2023.
Francis Farrell
