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.
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Friday, May 9
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.
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SBU charges 11 suspected organizers of sham ‘referendum’ in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast
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Ukraine’s Security Service, SBU, identified 11 suspected Russian collaborators who allegedly participated in the organization of Russia's sham "referendum" in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. They allegedly organized a campaign in the occupied Ukrainian cities in support of the sham referendum and urged people to participate in it.
SBU didn't say whether the suspects were in custody or charged in absentia, but the cities where they were supposedly active in remain occupied by Russia.
Before, SBU has already charged with treason 26 other suspected organizers of the "referendum."
All charged with collaborationism were members of Russian-created "territorial election commissions" in the occupied cities of Enerhodar, Melitopol, and Kamianka-Dniprovska. Four of them were leading the "commissions," according to the SBU.
The investigation is ongoing, the SBU said.
In an attempt to solidify Russia's territorial gains in the invasion amid Ukraine's counteroffensive, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia was annexing Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts during a ceremony in the Kremlin on Sept. 30. Russia only partly occupies the four oblasts, and controls the regional centers in just two of them.
On Nov. 19, the State Investigations Bureau said that it found a list of alleged Russian collaborators left by the Russian forces in the recently liberated Kherson.
Life under occupation: 'I was forced to vote in sham referendum at gunpoint'
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