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.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Aug. 2, 2023. (Photo by Alexander Kazakov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has convened a meeting of Russia's Security Council to discuss ties with Moscow's allies and neighbors, the TASS state news agency reported on Sept. 14.
As the Kremlin leadership met to "ensure Russia's interests" in ties with foreign partners, relations with some of Russia's partners have been souring recently.
Armenia, which traditionally used its relationship with Russia to counterbalance its Azerbaijani rivals and their Turkish allies, is losing confidence in Moscow's influence in the Caucasus.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with Politico that "Russia's catastrophic invasion of Ukraine means Armenia can no longer rely on Moscow as a guarantor of its security.
According to Pashinyan, Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh failed to prevent the escalating humanitarian crisis as the Kremlin's focus shifted to the war against Ukraine and to maintaining amicable relations with Turkey.
Amid the reports of a new Azerbaijani army buildup, the Armenian military launched the Eagle Partner 2023 drills together with the U.S., scheduled to last between Sept. 11 and Sept. 20.
Russia's lackluster performance in Ukraine has also shaken its position on the international scene, making major players such as Turkey, India, and even China play both sides.
Instead, Putin has been forced to rely increasingly more on rogue states such as North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Syria, and Belarus.
Russia recently hosted North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-Un, allegedly to discuss cooperation in missile and space technology.
However, Washington believes that another reason for the visit was Putin's desire to secure North Korean arms supplies to bolster the floundering invasion of Ukraine.
On Sept. 15, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is scheduled to arrive in Russia to reportedly discuss "the international agenda and regional issues," as well as economic issues like "joint efforts in import substitution."
The news of Lukashenko's visit comes after the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Sept. 14, which calls for Europe to apply the same sanctions against Belarus as it currently does against Russia.
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.
Oleg Sukhov
