(Updated: )Victory Day
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Friday, May 9
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.
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.
(Updated: )
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.
Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Nov. 5 that at least three civilians were killed and eight were wounded over the past day. The eastern region, where about 350,000 people remain despite a government-installed mandatory evacuation, came under another round of heavy Russian shelling overnight.
According to Kyrylenko, the embattled town of Bakhmut suffered an exceptionally intense Russian attack, damaging an administrative building and a house. Two Bakhmut residents were among the victims killed over the past day.
The official civilian death toll of Donetsk Oblast is 1,163 as of Nov. 5, but the figures don’t include the number of those killed in Russian-occupied cities such as Mariupol and Volnovakha that endured brutal Russian siege before they fell to Moscow.
Meanwhile, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Oleksandr Starukh said that Russian forces attacked his region with S-300 missile systems overnight. In neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said that his region had suffered another difficult night. Nikopol, located along the Dnipro River, came under intense attack, with almost 40 shells fired at the city and nearly 20 high-rise buildings damaged.
In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that Russian shelling continued in settlements near the Russian border or those located near the front line. An educational institution in a village near the liberated city of Kupiansk was damaged, but no casualties were reported.
In Mykolaiv Oblast, Governor Vitaliy Kim reported on Nov. 5 that Ukraine’s Air Force had shot down one cruise missile and six Russian-operated kamikaze drones as of the late afternoon on Nov. 4. Kim added that Russian forces are still shelling settlements in the region, leaving at least three houses and an administrative building of an agricultural enterprise damaged.
As Russia digs in along Donbas front line, no end in sight for civilian suffering
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