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.
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Friday, May 9
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.
Friday, May 9
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.
(Updated: )
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.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
Serbia's Economy Minister Rade Basta on March 13 called on his government to finally impose sanctions against Russia, declaring that they were paying a "high price" for not doing so.
Basta added that it was becoming "more and more unbearable" that the Serbian government remained silent.
His comments come after Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said, as quoted by Balkan Insight on March 10, that he could not "swear" that Serbia would never impose sanctions against Russia.
Serbia has traditionally been an ally of Russia. However, tensions have begun to surface between the two countries since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Serbia's Defense Minister Milos Vucevic denied reports that his country sent 3,500 missiles to Ukraine, as the Associated Press reported on March 3.
This came after Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued a threat to the Serbian government, declaring that the report on missiles would pose a "serious question" about the future of relations between both countries.
Vucevic admitted that a third party could have been involved in the transfer of the weapons.
“If private companies buy weapons in third states’ markets and then sell them to other companies in other countries, that is not a question for Serbia, that is international trade,” he said, as cited by AP.
Vucic on Jan. 17 asked Russia to prevent the Wagner Group, a private military contractor, from recruiting soldiers in Serbia.
According to Serbian law, it is illegal for the country's citizens to participate in foreign conflicts.
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