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.
Russia has lost 963,270 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on May 9. The number includes 1,300 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day. According to the report, Russia has
"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.
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."
Key developments on May 8: * Over 100 clashes reported on the front line since Russia’s Victory Day ceasefire began * Ukraine's parliament ratifies minerals deal between Washington, Kyiv * Russia has damaged, destroyed over 2,300 medical infrastructure facilities since beginning of full-scale invasion, health ministry says * Russia's ballistic missiles make
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.
Ukrainian history is rich with examples of foreign volunteers participating in wars fought by Ukrainians for their freedom. Latvian Karlis Broze, a lieutenant colonel in the Ukrainian People’s Republic, commanded the Black Zaporozhians company and later led one of the battalions during the Winter Campaign of 1919–1920. German
Moscow's self-declared truce which came into force at midnight on May 8 is not being felt on the front lines, Ukrainian soldiers have told the Kyiv Independent, reporting numerous cases of Russian military activity throughout the day. "There is no truce. There is shelling, artillery, drone and FPV (bomb) drops,
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.
Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. took the unprecedented step of deepening cooperation with international courts of law. Washington has never been party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC), and U.S. policy towards the Hague-based international tribunal has varied widely
Over the past days, Moscow's grand avenues, like every year in early May, were taken over by the growling of 80-year-old tanks and the smell of gasoline burned by military vehicles. To the delight of many locals, soldiers marched in multiple rehearsals for the May 9 Victory Day Parade in
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.
Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
An abandoned bed that often remains empty until morning as its usual occupants seek shelter during Russian attacks. A backpack with essentials to take along during each air raid. A family hug during a blackout, when a flashlight brings out the invisible on a mother’s face in daylight. After
At least 19 children were killed and 78 injured in April, the highest verified monthly number of child casualties since June 2022.
The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
Three women in Kharkiv, believing the truce was in effect, were injured by a Russian drone while gardening.
Russian forces struck the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant with a drone on Feb. 14, breaking through the confinement and creating a 15-meter hole in it.
Some 2020 medical facilities were partially damaged, while another 305 were completely destroyed, the ministry's statement read.
The number includes 1,200 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"Everyone in Moscow must know that they have to reckon with us. Europe will support Ukraine," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.
Ukraine is considering moving away from the U.S. dollar and closer to the euro as a benchmark for the hryvnia, National Bank Governor Andrii Pyshnyi told Reuters.
The Atesh partisan group claims it disabled communication at several Russian military facilities when it allegedly destroyed equipment at a transformer substation in the village of Mogiltsy in Russia's Moscow Oblast.
When asked if he considers Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent replied, saying, "Yes."
"The Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on May 7, according to Politico.
EU ambassadors began talks this week on a 17th sanctions package that targets Russia’s military-industrial complex, Moscow’s shadow shipping fleet, and related support networks.
Serhii Mandryk was on a call with acquaintances in Canada in the early hours of May 7. An air raid alert had sounded in Kyiv a few hours earlier but he decided to stay at home and go ahead with it rather than head for a shelter. He assured everyone
Key developments on May 7: * Ukrainian drone strikes hit two Russian defense plants, grounding flights in Moscow, security service says * Kellogg says Ukraine proposed 30-km demilitarized buffer zone, admits Putin main obstacle to ceasefire * Two volunteers die in Ukraine mine-clearing incident, including British aid worker Chris Garrett * Ukrainian drones reportedly
Editor’s note: This is issue 24 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly "Ukraine Reforms Tracker" covering events from April 28–May 4, 2025. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission. Benchmarks
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