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.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in Kyiv on Nov. 4, 2023. (President's Office)
The majority of Ukrainians, 60.5%, believe their country can join the European Union in less than 10 years, a recent survey commissioned by Ukrainian newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnia showed.
Around 20% of Ukrainians think it can happen in the next two years, in line with claims by Ukrainian officials, according to the poll released on Nov. 9.
Meanwhile, over 6% of respondents reportedly said that Ukraine would never become an EU member, and almost a third couldn't answer that question.
When asked what would be the biggest obstacle to Ukraine's accession to the EU, 51.7% of respondents pointed to a high level of corruption, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia wrote.
The corruption was followed by the ongoing war in the country (19%), destroyed infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt (8%), opposition from certain EU members, such as Hungary (5.4%), the reluctance of Europeans to "provoke" Russia (3.7%) and internal issues within the EU (1.2%).
Only 2.3% and 0.6% of respondents named problems in Ukraine's judicial system and an insufficient level of democracy as the main obstacles on the country's way to the EU, according to the media outlet.
The survey was conducted by the Razumkov Center from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 in 22 Ukrainian oblasts and the city of Kyiv. The sociologists held face-to-face interviews with 2,019 adults.
Ukraine received a recommendation from the European Commission on Nov. 8 to begin accession talks, but a final vote among the member states of the EU will still be required in order to begin the official accession talks.
Ukraine officially applied for EU membership in late February 2022, just following the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The country was granted candidacy status in June and presented with seven criteria it needs to fulfill in order to begin the talks. The report released by the European Commission on Nov. 8 said that Ukraine has fully implemented four of the seven required reforms.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
