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.
Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow, Russia on May 26, 2023. (Russian Foreign Ministry/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The political and diplomatic settlements are impossible without Moscow's involvement in Ukrainian talks, the Russian foreign ministry said on March 3 after the meeting of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui.
Hui met Galuzin during the Chinese envoy’s tour to Europe in order to promote a political settlement of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Visiting Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, and the EU’s headquarters in Brussels is also on Hui’s list.
According to the Russian foreign ministry, the sides agreed that "the settlements will not be reached without Moscow’s participation and considering its interests in the security sphere."
"Kyiv’s and West’s ultimatum demands to Russia and related to them 'dialog formats' only harm the perspectives of the settlement and could not serve as its basis," the Russian foreign ministry’s readout said.
China's foreign ministry stressed in its readout after the meeting that China is ready "to continue its efforts to promote peace talks, mediate and build consensus among Russia, Ukraine and other relevant parties."
China has built close ties with Russia and has not denounced its war against Ukraine nor joined international sanctions.
Although Beijing has not publicly provided direct military support to the Kremlin, Western intelligence suggested that China has been supplying Russia with large amounts of dual-use goods with military applications.
Despite political differences, the EU and the U.S. have repeatedly appealed to China to use its influence on Moscow to bring an end to the Ukraine invasion.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Igor Kossov
