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.
Oleksandr Liyev, former head of the Department of Military Technical Policy of Ukraine. (Oleksandr Liyev/Facebook)
The court did not send former Defense Ministry official Oleksandr Liyev, who is suspected of embezzling funds for ammunition purchases, into pre-trial detention, Transparency International Ukraine said on April 17.
Liyev, who was the head of the ministry's Department of Military Technical Policy, and other officials are suspected of embezzling about Hr 1.5 billion ($38 million) for the purchase of 100,000 mortar rounds in October 2022.
The said munitions have never been delivered even though the Defense Ministry paid the supplying company, the Lviv Arsenal.
Liyev was taken into custody on Feb. 12 but released a month later. On April 9, the High Anti-Corruption Court's Appeals Chamber overruled his release but did not send the ex-official back into custody as the original date of detention had expired on April 8.
The State Bureau of Investigation announced earlier on April 17 that the former Defense Ministry officials would appear in court in relation to the embezzlement case.
"Today, the High Anti-Corruption Court re-examined the defense's motion to change the pretrial detention, but the need for this has already expired, so the court left the motion without consideration," Transparency International said.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's Defense Ministry has been involved in several corruption scandals. The most notorious led to the dismissal of former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, one regarding inflated prices for food supplies and the other connected to low-quality winter jackets.
Igor Kossov
