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.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
The entrance to the Russian city of Belgorod, some 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, on May 28, 2023. (Olga Maltseva / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces may be attempting to break through the border into Russia's Belgorod Oblast, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed on Aug. 27.
Kyiv has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
The statement comes as Ukraine's cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk Oblast reaches its three-week mark. Belgorod Oblast is lodged between Russia's Kursk and Voronezh regions and borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts.
"There is information that (Ukraine) is attempting to break through the border of Belgorod Oblast," Gladkov wrote on his Telegram channel.
"According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the situation on the border remains difficult but under control."
Reports of the alleged attacks have also emerged on Russian Telegram channels.
According to the Mash channel, roughly 200 Ukrainian troops have attacked the border crossing at Nekhoteyevka and another 300 at Shebekino.
Another channel, Shot, claimed that Ukrainian forces had been pushed back from Nekhoteyevka after suffering losses and claimed that no clashes had taken place at Shebekino.
Shot pointed out that the front near Shebekino, which lies just across the border from the embattled Ukrainian town of Vovchansk, has been pushed further south after Russia launched its offensive into Kharkiv Oblast in May.
Nekhoteyevka also lies at the border of Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, some 6 kilometers (almost 4 miles) from the Ukrainian settlement of Kozacha Lopan and around 30 kilometers (almost 20 miles) north of Kharkiv.
There have been multiple signs that Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast is spilling over to Belgorod Oblast. A unit of the Ukrainian 252nd Battalion appeared to have entered the village of Poroz on Aug. 10.
Previously, Shebekino became a key flashpoint during a cross-border incursion carried out last year by anti-Kremlin militias fighting on Ukraine's side.
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.
Dmytro Basmat
