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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky talks during his daily address to the nation on Oct. 20. (President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is deliberately creating the grounds for a large-scale disaster in Ukraine's southern Kherson Oblast.
"We have information that Russians mined the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant," Zelensky said in an Oct. 20 address to the European Council.
The Kakhovka dam holds about 18 million cubic meters of water. If destroyed, over 80 settlements, including the regional capital Kherson, will be flooded, Zelensky said. The president added that an international observation mission is needed, as "hundreds of thousands of people may be affected."
The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station is located 70 kilometers northeast of the Russian-occupied Kherson. The city next to the dam, Nova Kakhovka, is also occupied by Russia.
On Oct. 20, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Russian forces were setting conditions to conduct a false-flag attack on the Kakhovka power plant near Kherson. Oleksiy Hromov, a top officer at the General Staff, said that the Russian command may withdraw experienced forces from Kherson and might keep only freshly mobilized troops on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
The Oct. 18 announcement by the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, Sergei Surovikin, shows that "the Russian authorities are seriously considering a major withdrawal of their forces from the area west of the Dnipro River," according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
Russia would face a severe challenge of extracting troops and equipment across the 1,000-meter wide river, reads the report.
Surovikin's comments come as Russia had announced that Ukraine had renewed its counteroffensive in the south that had already liberated tens of villages in the region and pushed 30 kilometers deep into Russian-occupied territory.
Russian-proxy leader in Kherson Oblast, on Oct. 18, announced an "organized displacement" of 50,000–60,000 Ukrainians from Kherson Oblast to the territories "on the Dnipro River's left bank." The city of Kherson is fully located on the river's right bank.
"If Russia is preparing such a terrorist attack, if it is seriously considering such a scenario, it means that the terrorists are very clearly aware that they will not be able to hold not only to Kherson but the entire south of our country, including Crimea," Zelensky said in his evening address. He said that the world needs to make it clear to Russia that attacks on the Kakhovka dam "will mean exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction."
Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.
