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.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual state of the nation address at the Gostiny Dvor conference center in central Moscow on Feb. 29, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed an incursion into Russia by Russian anti-Kremlin armed groups on March 12 was "an attempt to disrupt" upcoming presidential elections in the country.
The Freedom of Russia Legion, the Siberian Battalion and the Russian Volunteer Corps, reportedly crossed the border into Russia's Belgorod and Kursk oblasts from Ukraine on March 12 to conduct combat operations, which continued the next day. The units claimed to have taken under control the village of Tyotkino Kursk Oblast.
According to Ukraine’s military intelligence, the units are comprised of Russian citizens acting as part of Ukraine’s “security and defense forces.”
Putin claimed the goal of the reported breakthrough was "to get a trump card for the exchange of territories in possible negotiations" and to create an "information effect."
"I have no doubt that the main purpose is to, if not disrupt the presidential elections in Russia, then at least somehow interfere with the normal process of expressing the will of citizens," Putin said in an interview with Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti and Russia-1 TV channel.
The Siberian Battalion urged Russians via social media to ignore the Russian presidential elections, which are set to take place on March 15-17, calling the ballots and polling stations "fiction."
Russia held a rigged vote in 2020 to approve constitutional amendments allowing Putin to run for two more presidential terms after his current one expires in 2024. Putin is widely expected to win the election and secure a fifth term in office.
Putin also claimed that the breakthrough of units into Russian territory took place "amid Ukraine's failures" on the battlefield.
Ukraine was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka, a key front-line city in Donetsk Oblast, on Feb. 17 and from other nearby villages weeks later. Russia is intensifying offensive actions along the front as Ukraine's Armed Forces face severe ammunition shortages due to delays in U.S. aid.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told French broadcaster BFMTV on March 11 that the situation on the frontline "is better than it has been in the past few months."
Emmanuelle Chaze
