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.
Ukrainian soldiers fire a Grad multiple launch rocket system toward Russian positions in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on Aug. 12, 2022. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukraine’s military reports that it had liberated over 20 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast within days of launching a surprise counteroffensive in the country’s northeast.
Ukrainian forces have advanced 50 kilometers deep into the Russian-occupied territories near Balakliia, Kharkiv Oblast, according to Deputy Chief of Ukraine's General Staff Oleksiy Hromov.
Despite the military not naming the liberated settlements, the city of Balakliia was confirmed to be freed by Ukrainian troops.
“Balakliia, Kharkiv Oblast, is under (Ukrainian) control. The order is complete,” said soldiers in a Sept. 8 video published by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.
Balakliia, with a prewar population of 30,000, became the largest settlement retaken by Ukraine so far.
In a later video, Zelensky said the Armed Forces have liberated over 1,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land since Sept. 1. The figure includes territories in both Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin claims that its war against Ukraine is going as initially planned, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying on Sept. 7 that “(Russia) has not lost anything and will not lose anything.”
New counteroffensive
Videos of Ukrainian troops marching forward deep into Russian-occupied territory in northeastern Ukraine flooded official and unofficial Ukrainian military channels.
The pivotal moment came when the Ukrainian flag was officially raised over Balakliia.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a D.C- based think tank monitoring the conflict, Ukraine’s rapid success is in part due to Russia being forced to relocate its troops south.
On Aug. 29, Zelensky said that Ukraine was launching a counteroffensive to liberate the country's southern Kherson Oblast.
“Ukrainian forces in southeastern Kharkiv Oblast are likely exploiting Russian force reallocation to the southern axis to conduct an opportunistic yet highly effective counteroffensive,” ISW reported on Sept. 7.
Ukraine is allegedly now pressing towards the occupied city of Kupiansk, some 70 kilometers northeast of Balakliia. Unconfirmed reports put Ukrainian troops as close as 20 kilometers west of the settlement.
The Ukrainian military denies commenting on the ongoing operation.
On Sept. 7, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called the operation “a counteroffensive” for the first time, hailing “demonstrable success” by Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Emphasizing that “the face of war is changing,” Austin vowed that his country would increase support to help Ukraine’s counteroffensive drive.
On Sept. 8, the Pentagon officially announced a new $675 million military aid package which includes new howitzers, shells, armored vehicles, and munitions for HIMARS.
Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.
