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.
Photo for illustrative purposes: China's President Xi Jinping is welcomed by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (R) during the opening ceremony of "The Year of Chinese Tourism in Russia" in Moscow on March 22, 2013. (Sergei Ilnitsky/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Major Chinese banks are limiting payments for transactions with Russia, fearing U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported on April 29, citing undisclosed trading and banking sources.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Washington is drafting sanctions that will threaten to cut off Chinese banks that aid Russia's war effort from the global financial system.
Chinese banks have stepped up scrutiny of Russia-related transactions since March or stopped doing business with Russia at all to avoid U.S. sanctions, the sources told Reuters.
"Transactions between China and Russia will increasingly go through underground channels. But these methods carry significant risks," said the head of a trade body in a southeastern province that represents Chinese businesses with Russian interests.
The threat to extend U.S. sanctions to banks in China is affecting financing even for non-military trade between Beijing and Moscow, which causes problems for small Chinese exporters, seven sources told Reuters.
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Some Chinese companies are turning to small banks at the border and underground financing channels such as money brokers, including banned cryptocurrencies, as the country's big banks pull back from financing Russia-related transactions, Reuters wrote. Others entirely left the Russian market, the sources said.
The owner of one of the companies, Wang, told Reuters that now it takes "months rather than days" for major banks to process payments from Russia, forcing businesses to either scale back or switch to unusual payment channels.
Reuters reported earlier in April, citing unnamed U.S. defense officials, that China is aiding Russia's war machine in Ukraine by providing machine tools, weapons technology, and satellite imagery.
Over the past months, multiple stories appeared in Russian media about Chinese banks scaling back their operations in and with Russia due to the pressure of Western sanctions.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Kateryna Hodunova
