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.
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.
A woman walks past a bombed school in the frontline town of Krasnohorivka as the first anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine nears, outside of Marinka in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 22, 2023. (Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Over the past week, Russia has likely increased its armored attacks around Ukraine’s town of Marinka 20 km southwest of Russian-occupied Donetsk, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on April 10.
Marinka has been largely destroyed as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with no civilians living in the town since November last year.
It commands the approaches to Donetsk and the critical H15 road linking the eastern city occupied since 2014 and the city of Zaporizhzhia.
“Russia continues to give a high priority to resourcing operations in the broader Donetsk sector, including the Marinka and Avdiivka areas, expending significant resources for minimal gains,” the ministry wrote in its latest intelligence update.
Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast is the site of the war’s fiercest fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces as Russia seeks to occupy the entire region.
Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksii Dmytrashkovskyi said on April 9 that the Russian military had faced “colossal losses” near the towns of Avdiivka and Marinka in recent days, losing around two companies of servicemen, or up to 400 soldiers, there each day.
In mid-March, Russia made noticeable gains around Avdiivka, with Dmytrashovskyi warning at the time that the city could become a "second Bakhmut." Since then, Ukraine has stabilized the front line in the area and halted further Russian advances.
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Francis Farrell
