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.
Polish President Andrzej Duda photographed during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York on Sept. 19, 2023. (Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Poland is ready and willing to allow NATO allies to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory, Polish President Andrzej Duda said in an interview published on April 22.
The president said the topic of placing U.S. nuclear weapons in Poland "has been a topic of Polish-American talks for some time."
"If our allies decide to deploy nuclear weapons as part of nuclear sharing also on our territory to strengthen the security of NATO's eastern flank, we are ready for it," he said.
"We are an ally in the North Atlantic Alliance, and we also have obligations in this respect, i.e., we simply implement a common policy."
Russia's tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use on the battlefield in Europe and Asia and have a more limited range compared to strategic nuclear weapons, which could reach the U.S.
Leaked military documents reported by the Financial Times (FT) on Feb. 28 outline Russia's doctrine for tactical nuclear weapons use and indicate a threshold "lower than Russia has ever publicly admitted, according to experts who reviewed and verified the documents."
Russia has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons in response to Western support for Ukraine, but the threats have so far failed to materialize. Russia continues to wage an all-out war in Ukraine without utilizing its nuclear arsenal.
In February, the U.S. told allies that Moscow could deploy a nuclear anti-satellite weapon or a mock warhead into space as early as this year.
Russia is purportedly developing a space-based capability to disable satellites using a nuclear weapon, the sources said. A nuclear warhead in space would be a direct violation of an arms treaty that all nuclear-armed states, including Russia, are party to.
The report follows the U.S. House Intelligence Committee's warning of a "serious" but unspecified security threat from Russia. Allegations then followed that the threat relates to Russia's desire to "put a nuclear weapon into space."
The Kremlin refuted the warning, saying it was a "malicious fabrication."
Nate Ostiller
