(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.
At least three civilians and an ambulance driver were wounded by Russian Grad rockets in a village in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on May 14, the President's Office said.
The Russian rockets hit the village of Prymorske, targeting a house and a high school. The village is located some 30 kilometers from Zaporizhzhia, near the Dnipro River.
Earlier in the day, a 48-year-old woman was wounded by Russian artillery in the village of Novoiakovlivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Yurii Malashko said. The victim was evacuated to a medical facility, he added.
The official added that a shop in the village was burned down and houses were damaged.
The two villages where the Russian attacks were reported are located no more than 30 kilometers apart in southeastern Ukraine. Russia has occupied more than half of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
‘They’ll kill me if I come back’: Abduction, torture become routine in Russian-occupied Melitopol
In a rare glimpse, the Kyiv Independent talked to some who escaped Russian-occupied Melitopol and learned what’s happening behind the curtain of Russia’s occupation. Since Melitopol fell to Russian forces in March 2022, the city’s residents constantly fear being kidnapped, sometimes in broad dayligh…
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