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.
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Friday, May 9
"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.
Friday, May 9
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.
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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.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
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.
Russian forces are “actively” conducting reconnaissance operations on the battlefield to prepare new offensives in several areas, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Feb. 1. The military didn't specify the areas.
Despite heavy losses, Russians continue their attacks near Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk Oblast, according to the report.
Head of the Council of Reservists of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Ivan Tymochko, earlier said that Russia was strengthening its forces in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region as part of an anticipated offensive meant to score points amid domestic pressure in Russia for a victory in Ukraine after a serious of failures on the battlefield.
The Institute for the Study of War said on Jan. 30 that Russian military bloggers shared a statement on a Russian Telegram channel that “the current pace and nature of Russian operations indicate that the main forces of the anticipated offensive and promised breakthrough have not yet entered the battle.”
Russia is concentrating its “main efforts” in the eastern Donbas, where it is still waging the “fiercest battles,” Yevhen Yerin, a spokesman of the Southern Operational Command of Ukrainian forces, said on Jan. 30.
Western, Ukrainian, and Russian sources continue to indicate that Russia is preparing for an imminent offensive, the ISW said in its latest update on Jan. 31.
The update cited NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who stated on Jan. 30 that there were no indications that Russia was preparing to negotiate for peace and that all indicators pointed to the opposite.
Stoltenberg also said that Russia “may mobilize upwards of 200,000 personnel and is continuing to acquire weapons and ammunition through increased domestic production and partnerships with authoritarian states such as Iran and North Korea.”
Meanwhile, Russia deployed more troops and military equipment to its Kursk Oblast, which borders Ukraine, Kursk Oblast Governor Roman Starovoit said on Jan. 30.
With the loss of Soledar, Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut jeopardized
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