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 TV screen in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House airs Russian President Vladimir Putin's live remarks from the Kremlin on Feb. 21, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to send troops into the Kremlin-occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine, after officially recognizing them as independent states.
According to the decree signed by Putin on Feb. 21, the Kremlin has recognized the independence of the Russian-occupied Donbas and has ordered the Russian military to perform “peacekeeping functions” in the territories.
Putin’s move followed an hour-long address falsely claiming that “modern Ukraine was created by Russia” and parts of Russia were wrongly “given” to Ukraine during the Soviet times.
Amid Russia’s ongoing escalation, Ukraine requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council “due to Russia’s illegal actions,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Feb. 22.
Russia’s statement comes amid the record-high Russian military build-up in and around Ukraine.
“We assess that Russia probably has massed between 169,000-190,000 personnel in and near Ukraine as compared with about 100,000 on Jan. 30,” said Michael Carpenter, U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced he would sign an order that will impose sanctions following Russia’s recognition of the occupied territories as independent states. These sanctions are separate from the “swift and severe economic measures” the West has been preparing should Russia further invade Ukraine.
“We have anticipated a move like this from Russia and are ready to respond immediately,” the White House said in a statement on Feb. 22.
NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the Kremlin’s decision to recognize the independence of Russian-occupied Donbas. Jens Stoltenberg said that the move further undermined Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, violating the Minsk Agreements.
The second Minsk Agreements were signed after a Russian military offensive in February 2015, which forced Ukraine to agree to a document set to grant Russian-occupied Donbas a special status in return for Kyiv receiving control over its side of the border with Russia.
Meanwhile, government-controlled parts of Donbas were shelled by Russian-led militants.
Artillery attacks by Russian-led militants continued all along the front line. As many as 54 shelling incidents have been reported by Ukraine’s military on Feb. 21 as of 5 p.m.
Three people, among them two soldiers, were killed by Russia on Feb. 21.
Alexander Query is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is the former business editor at the Kyiv Post. He worked as a TV correspondent and an anchorman at UATV in Ukraine, and received a BA in modern literature from La Sorbonne, in Paris.
