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.
Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Companies associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin signed state contracts worth at least 2 billion rubles (up to $21 million) within a month after his Wagner Group rebellion, the Russian independent outlet Agentstvo reported on Aug. 3.
Based on the state contracts of 17 companies, the outlet concluded that the largest contracts the Prigozhin-connected firms received concerned meals for schoolchildren. This included 705 million rubles ($7.5 million) for the "Social Nutrition" Center, 935 million rubles ($10 million) for Prodfoodservice, and 260 million rubles ($2.8 million) for Preschool Nutrition Combine.
According to Agentstvo, military related-contracts, such as meals for soldiers, remain classified. However, the continued financial support for Prigozhin-connected firms could indicate that Moscow keeps financing the Wagner Group's activities in Africa, the journalists concluded.
The Wagner Group's founder launched an armed rebellion against the Russian government on June 23. His mercenaries occupied the city of Rostov and marched on Moscow, only to abruptly end the insurrection on June 24.
After a deal brokered between the government and Prigozhin, Putin announced that Wagner mercenaries will be allowed to leave for Belarus or sign contracts with the regular military.
However, Prigozhin was seen back in Russia in late July on the sidelines of the Africa-Russia Summit in St. Petersburg. At the same time, his Wagner contractors began arriving in Belarus, providing training support to the Belarusian military.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said that Wagner is also expanding its activities in Africa.
On July 27, Putin claimed that the Wagner Group was "fully financed by the state," adding that between May 2022 and May 2023, it received over 86 billion rubles ($910 million) from the state's budget.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Prigozhin-linked companies have received contracts for more than 400 billion rubles (over $4.2 billion) between 2014-2022.
