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 President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting virtually at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 31, 2023. (Aleksey Babushkin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on June 18 and Vietnam the following day, the Kremlin's press service reported on June 17.
With Russia's military stocks running low and domestic production capacity simultaneously hampered by Western sanctions, North Korea has been shaping up to be Russia's leading weapons supplier, reportedly providing Moscow with extensive military packages, including ballistic missiles and around 5 million artillery shells.
Despite the increasingly strong alliance, Putin has not visited North Korea since 2000, when he met with previous North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.
Current North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un met with Putin in Russia in September 2023.
Alexander Matsegora, Russia's ambassador to North Korea, told the state-controlled media outlet Kommersant earlier in June that Putin was planning to visit North Korea in the near future but did not provide a specific date.
Putin has visited Vietnam four times previously, but not since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Vietnam and Russia have long had close relations, dating back to the Soviet Union's support for North Vietnam and its proxy forces during the Vietnam War. Vietnam has maintained a neutral stance regarding Russia's war against Ukraine.
Putin will meet with top Vietnamese officials, including the recently elected President To Lam.
The purpose of the trip is to discuss the "further development of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam in the trade, economic, scientific, technological and humanitarian fields, as well as to exchange views on current issues on the international and regional agenda," the Kremlin said.
While North Korea is a pariah state with few international allies, Vietnam and the U.S. have close ties despite their fraught history.
The announcement of the visit elicited a rebuke from U.S. officials.
"No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities," a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam told Reuters.
Vietnam's Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Kateryna Denisova
