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.
Two Russian Su-30s in close formation in the sky over Zhukovsky, Russia on July 25, 2021. (Mihail Siergiejevicz/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The German and Swedish air forces scrambled NATO jets on Aug. 3 after two Russian jets were detected heading toward Latvian airspace over the Baltic Sea.
The German Air Force reported that the jets from NATO's Baltic air-policing mission identified two Russian Su-30s.
The Russian pilots "behaved uncooperatively but not aggressively," the German Air Force said.
According to the German news outlet Bild, two German Eurofighters and two Swedish planes intercepted the Russian Su-30s.
The Russian jets were involved in a training exercise, but the flight plan had not been communicated beforehand, a German Air Force spokesperson told Bild.
"The transponders were switched off, and the pilots did not respond to radio requests," according to Bild.
NATO aircraft were scrambled 11 times in mid-June to identify and escort Russian aircraft that had violated rules while flying in international airspace, Lithuania's LRT news agency reported.
Most of the Russian aircraft were reportedly flying with no flight plans and had their onboard transponders turned off.
Andrii Kharuk
