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.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
Vladimir Putin walks past an honour guard at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 31, 2024. (Maxim Shemetov / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with officials on Feb. 24 to discuss rare earth metals production, calling it a strategic reserve crucial for Russia's economic growth and global competitiveness.
He emphasized the importance of the newly launched national project, "New Materials and Chemistry," which aims to strengthen the domestic industry. The initiative seeks to develop a full-cycle rare and rare-earth metals sector, from extraction to high-tech manufacturing, with a significant increase in production.
In an interview with Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin published on the same day, Putin followed up on the minerals topic, adding that any potential agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine over natural resources would not affect Russia.
He pointed out that Russia has significantly larger reserves of rare earth metals than Ukraine and is open to working with foreign partners in developing rare earth deposits, including in the occupied parts of Ukraine which Putin called "newly controlled regions."
Putin also suggested that U.S. President Donald Trump has greater freedom in handling Russia's war against Ukraine than European leaders.
"He doesn’t just say what he thinks—he does what he wants. That is the privilege of the leader of a great power," Putin said. While Russia and the U.S. must restore mutual trust, he added that no substantial talks with Trump on Ukraine had taken place.
Putin also claimed that President Volodymyr Zelensky has become a "toxic figure for Ukraine’s armed forces who blocks peace efforts and weakens his country." He blamed Zelensky’s "absurd orders" for the military's "catastrophic losses" and accused the Ukrainian president of avoiding negotiations to delay elections.
Putin went on to dismiss Europe's concerns over U.S.-Russia talks. "Nobody can demand anything from Russia, especially not Europe. Let them make demands of someone else. For centuries, they have been making demands of their vassals—now their own people are making demands of them. They should sit at home and think about how they ended up in this situation," he said.
Putin also welcomed Trump’s proposal to cut defense spending, suggesting that Russia and the U.S. could agree to a 50% reduction.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
