(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.
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State Department: US neither ‘enabling’ nor ‘encouraging’ Ukraine to strike targets in Russia
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The U.S. has not supplied Ukraine with weapons to use beyond its borders and is not encouraging the country to conduct such strikes, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Dec. 6, according to CNN. “We are providing Ukraine with what it needs to use on its sovereign territory, on Ukrainian soil, to take on Russian aggressors that have crossed over the border,” added Price.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland suggested in an interview with CNN that Ukraine was behind recent explosions on two Russian military air bases.
“The Ukrainians are enormously innovative. They are working very hard with their own technologies and their own equipment,” she said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that three soldiers had been killed and four had been injured by the alleged drone attacks on the Dyagilevo airfield near the city of Ryazan and the Engels-1 military air base in Saratov Oblast on Dec. 5. The ministry blamed Ukraine’s Armed Forces for the strikes, claiming that the latter had used modified Soviet-era unmanned jets.
Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied its responsibility for the incidents. If carried out by Ukraine, the attacks are Ukraine’s deepest strikes into Russian territory so far- 600-700 kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled areas.
Russia stations strategic missile-carrying bombers at both airfields, which it uses for long-range air-launched cruise missile attacks against Ukraine.
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