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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand on Sept. 15, 2022. (Photo by Alexandr Demyanchuk/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed U.S. and allied security officials, that Iran is preparing the first shipment of Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles for Russia.
Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar are Iranian short-range ballistic missiles capable of striking targets at distances of 300 and 700 kilometers, respectively.
Earlier on Oct. 11, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia ordered 2,400 kamikaze Shahed-136 drones from Iran for its war in Ukraine. At least hundreds of them have already been delivered, according to Ukraine's intelligence. Ukraine's military reports downing Iranian-made drones on a daily basis.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on four Iranian companies and one individual for the development and shipment of Iranian drones to Russia. According to Reuters, the European Union ministers will also consider sanctions on Iran for providing Russia with drones.
Iran denied supplying the weapons to Russia.
Russia has increased the use of drones to save up on high-precision missiles, according to Yurii Ihnat, spokesman of Ukraine's Air Force.
According to the U.K. Defense Ministry's Oct. 16 intelligence report, Russia is probably incapable of producing advanced munitions at the rate they are being expended.
Russia's massive attacks on Ukraine such as on Oct. 10 "represent a further degradation of Russia's long-range missile stocks, which is likely to constrain their ability to strike the volume of targets they desire in future."
Russia launched 24 drones and 84 cruise missiles over Ukraine on Oct. 10 in the largest coordinated attack since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
According to Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister, 1,235 out of 1,844 Iskander, Kalibr, and air-launched cruise missiles have been used by Russian forces since Feb. 24.
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