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.
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Friday, May 9
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.
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.
U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed that his country is donating Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Ukraine, becoming the first nation to provide Kyiv with weaponry able to reach targets deep behind the front lines, Sky News reported on May 11.
Earlier the same day, CNN reported, citing Western officials, that Britain had already delivered to Ukraine these cruise missiles, which can hit targets over 250 kilometers away. Storm Shadow is only slightly inferior to the 185-mile U.S. Army Surface-to-Surface System (ATACMS), which Ukraine has long requested, so far unsuccessfully.
Such missiles can reach Russia's territory, but Kyiv promised the U.K. government not to use them to strike targets inside Russia, according to an official cited by CNN.
Instead, Kyiv says it would use donated long-range weapons to attack Russian command centers, supply lines, ammunition, and fuel depots deep in Crimea and the occupied territories of Ukraine's east.
Editorial: Arming Ukraine won’t escalate war. Reluctance to do so will
First it was the tanks, now it’s the fighter jets. As Ukraine braces for another possible major Russian offensive in the upcoming weeks, Western leaders are yet again coming up with a variety of excuses why this time, they cannot justify supplying F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent
Wallace said Storm Shadow missiles would complement other Western-provided long-range weapons, including HIMARS and Harpoon systems, as well as Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles.
Until the U.K.'s decision to provide Storm Shadow, Ukraine's maximum striking capabilities were U.S.-delivered HIMARS missiles with a range of 80 kilometers, unable to reach many of the Russian-occupied areas.
"Ukraine has a right to be able to defend itself against this. The use of Storm Shadow will allow Ukraine to push back Russian forces based within Ukrainian sovereign territory," Wallace added, as cited by Sky News.
The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, as reported by Russian state-controlled news outlet RIA Novosti, that Russia "is extremely negative" about the news. Peskov threatened the U.K. with "an adequate response."
Politico: US will not follow UK in sending Ukraine long-range missiles
The Biden administration has no intention of following Britain’s lead in sending Ukraine long-range missiles, Politico reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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