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.
A soldier faces the launcher of a Patriot air defense system during the air defense exercise "Resilient Guard 2020" on Oct. 14, 2020, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. (Thomas Frey/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Ukraine needs more air defense systems from its partners to protect its major cities against Russian missile threats, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukraine's Presidential Office, told the Guardian in an interview on July 27.
Podolyak said that the recent strikes on Odesa illustrate Russian tactics to attack Ukraine's cities by overwhelming their air defenses.
"Russia's tactics are clear: they use massive drone attacks to overload our anti-aircraft systems and then in parallel, they have a window of opportunity to use ballistic missiles to target infrastructure," the presidential advisor told the Guardian in Kyiv.
While Ukraine's capital is better-protected thanks to a complex air defense system using Western weaponry, Odesa is more vulnerable, the newspaper commented.
Ukrainian defenses need additional modern air-defense systems like Patriots to defend against air-launched ballistic Kh-47 Kinzhal missiles or Onyx cruise missiles, Podolyak said.
Russia used Onyx anti-ship missiles repeatedly in the past days to target cities in southern Ukraine.
“We don’t have enough modern anti-aircraft systems like Patriot, that are able to hit the latest generation Russian missiles like Oniks and Kinzhal – the deficit of these systems means we can’t cover all the parts of the country," Podolyak said.
At least 10 to 12 batteries are needed to protect the whole country, he said. According to the official, an increased supply of air defense capabilities makes sense both morally and economically for Ukraine's partners, as reconstruction after the destruction wrought by Russian missiles will be more expensive.
Russia launched a series of attacks against Ukraine's south in the past few days, primarily targeting ports, agricultural infrastructure, and grain stockpiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 19 that the country needs additional SAMP/T or Patriot air defense systems to protect its skies.
On July 26, the president revealed that the military received air defense reinforcements without specifying their type or origin.
Ukraine currently operates two Patriot systems, one provided by the U.S. and another by Germany. Berlin pledged further two Patriot launchers during the NATO summit in Vilnius earlier in July.
On June 19, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a SAMP/T air defense system, previously pledged by France and Italy, is deployed and operational in Ukraine.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Elsa Court
