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.
Following the end of a ban on Russian electricity imports on Nov. 1, 2021 the Verkhovna Rada is considering a proposal to impose a 4-5% special duty on fuel and energy from Russia. (Pexels)
The parliamentary committee on energy, housing, and communal services proposed the introduction of a 4-5% duty on fuel and energy imports from Russia on Dec. 28, according to news outlet Ekonomichna Pravda.
Committee chair Andriy Gerus was quoted as saying that Ukraine’s parliament is considering raising the duty on imports of both fuel and energy. This includes diesel, gasoline, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), and electricity, as well as thermal, lean, and anthracite coal.
Duties already exist on Russian energy, notably a 4% tax on diesel, 3% on LPG, and 65% on thermal coal, however, these are scheduled to end on Dec. 31.
The import of electricity from Russia and Belarus imposed in May expired on Nov. 1, after which Ukraine restarted imports from Belarus, but not Russia.
Energy imports from Russia have been a controversial issue since the start of Russia’s war in the Donbas and Crimea in 2014. Reliance on Russian energy is now viewed by many in Ukraine as a threat to national security.
A post on the official website of the Cabinet of Ministers states that the government is undertaking “a brand new approach to energy security under the pressure of economic aggression, continuous blackmailing from Russian state-run corporations, and the threat of energy supply disruption from Russia.”
According to Gerus, the proposed tax would raise funds for the state budget and the protection of Ukraine against Russian aggression.
The proposal is likely to affect Ukraine’s imports of LPG and diesel. The country remains heavily dependent on Russian diesel imports, importing over 1.5 million tons of fuel from its neighbor in 2021.
In 2019-2021, the Ukrainian government raised more than Hr 1.5 billion ($55 million) in duties on LPG and diesel originating from Russia.
However, the committee's proposal looks unlikely to have any practical application in the context of Russia’s current coal blackmail of Ukraine.
Until recently, Ukraine was reliant on Russia for most of its energy needs. In 2020, 70% of Ukraine's coal imports came from Russia, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
This came to an abrupt halt on Nov. 1, when Russia halted exports of thermal coal to Ukraine. Since then, no shipments of coal used for producing electricity have arrived.
This has proved costly to Ukraine. Russia has been driving up the cost of natural gas by cutting its use of Ukraine’s gas transit infrastructure. With Russian coal imports suspended, the Ukrainian government was forced to buy gas at expensive market rates for the winter heating season.
Dylan Carter is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. He studied modern languages at the University College of London and Paris Sorbonne IV. He worked as an assistant lecturer at the Kyiv School of Economics and at Ukrinform before joining the Kyiv Post in June 2021.
