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. An oil drilling rig stands at an oil and gas field processing and drilling site operated by Ukrnafta in Boryslav, Lviv Oblast in Ukraine, on July 4, 2019.
Russian troops hit two oil depots during a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight on June 7, said Serhii Kuyun, head of A95, a Kyiv-based consulting group.
Ukrainian forces reportedly downed 48 of the 53 Shahed-type drones and all five Kh-101 cruise missiles at night, causing a fire at one of the industrial facilities in Kyiv Oblast. No casualties were reported.
"Minus two oil depots. Millions of dollars in the air," Kuyun wrote on Facebook, without disclosing where the impacted facilities were located.
Ukrainian officials did not comment on this statement.
Russia has already attacked 10 oil storage facilities in 2024, according to Kuyun. He said that such attacks would not affect the availability of fuel in Ukraine.
Ukraine began implementing rolling shutdowns in mid-May, but they have dramatically increased in recent days, and one of the latest Russian mass-missile attack on May 31 caused further damage across the country.
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.
Chris York
