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.
Maxar satellite imagery showing a closeup view of Kerch Strait and the new damage to the Crimea Bridge which connects Crimea to Russia on July 17, 2023. (Satellite image by Maxar Technologies)
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said that one span of the part of the Crimean Bridge for road vehicles is completely destroyed and cannot be restored.
The comments were made during a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on July 17 after the bridge, which links Russian-occupied Crimea to Russia, was damaged by two blasts earlier in the day.
Khusnullin added that the underwater pillars of the bridge were not damaged by the explosion and that cars should be able to use the bridge again by the early hours of July 18.
However, only one lane will be open. Khusnullin said that it would take until September to restore two-way traffic on one side of the bridge. The side of the traffic that goes toward Kerch in Crimea will take until November to be fully restored.
During the meeting, Putin demanded to receive specific proposals to strengthen the security of the bridge. The attack marks the second explosion on the bridge within a year, with the last blast taking place in October 2022.
The bridge was partially closed as a result of the blast, and only fully re-opened in February 2023.
Media reports claim that Ukrainian intelligence services carried out the attack on July 17 with drones that travel over the surface of the water. The Kyiv Independent has not been able to verify this information.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, claimed that the explosions killed a man and a woman, and injured a child.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Martin Fornusek
