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.
The destroyed Antonivsky bridge over the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. The bridge was blown by Russian forces when they retreated from Kherson in November 2022. (Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Russia has changed the leadership of its forces operating in occupied Kherson Oblast, likely indicating an increased intensity of the pressure the Russian Army faces in the area, the U.K.'s Defense Ministry said on Oct. 31, citing a report by the Russian state-run news agency TASS.
Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, replaced Colonel General Oleg Makarevich.
According to Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed proxy in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Makarevich was removed from his post for providing false reports to higher-ups about the situation on the ground.
The ministry noted that Teplinsky is "likely held in high regard by the Russian General Staff," in part because of his role in the largely successful withdrawal of Russian troops from the west of the Dnipro River in November 2022 during their retreat from Kherson.
Previously, the ministry reported in April 2023 that Teplinsky had returned to an active role in Ukraine after being allegedly dismissed three months earlier due to an internal power struggle.
Ukrainian forces have continued to put pressure on Russian troops in the Dnipro River area in Kherson Oblast.
The U.S.-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Oct. 20 that Ukraine had established a presence in the Krynky settlement on the Russian-held Dnipro River's left bank.
The U.K. Defense Ministry's Oct. 31 report corroborated the increased fighting in the area, as well as emphasizing that "repelling Ukrainian attacks across the Dnipro and holding territory in occupied Kherson Oblast remains a high priority objective for Russian forces in Ukraine."
Alexander Query
