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.
Motor Sich employees work at the enterprise's helicopter final assembly shop in Zaporizhzhia on May 18, 2021. (Dmytro Smoliyenko / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Ukrainian authorities detained Viacheslav Bohuslaiev, the head of Motor Sich, one of the world's leading manufacturers of aircraft engines based in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reported on Oct. 23. Bohuslaiev is suspected of collaborating with Russia.
According to the SBU, Bohuslaiev's arrest is "part of the criminal case on the Motor Sich's illegal supply of military equipment for Russian attack aircraft."
Apart from Bohuslaiev, the SBU also detained the head of the foreign economic activities department at Motor Sich, not mentioning his name.
The detained are accused of cooperating with representatives of the Russian state-owned "Rostec" defense enterprise, "one of the main producers of weapons for the Russian military."
They have established "transnational channels for the illegal supply of Ukrainian aircraft engines" to Russia, the SBU said, adding that Russia used the obtained equipment for the "production and repair" of its attack helicopters Mi-8, Ka-52, and Mi-28. According to the SBU, Russia has used such helicopters "en masse" against Ukraine.
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