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.
Workers of emergency services extinguish a fire after a Russian attack targeted energy infrastructure in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 18, 2022. (Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russia has not used its long-range aircraft for strikes on Ukraine since Sept. 21, likely because it aims to conserve its stocks of long-range missiles for strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure in winter 2023, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Oct. 13.
This is not the first time that Russia has taken significant breaks in its usage of long-range missiles in Ukraine, the ministry noted. Previously, there was a similar pause in such strikes between March-April, likely because Russia had used up a significant amount of its missile stocks on last winter's failed campaign to knock out Ukraine's power grid.
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Oct. 6 that Russia will again attempt to destroy Ukraine's critical infrastructure this winter.
Russia has also increasingly used Shahed-type drones on strikes against port infrastructure in the Danube River region, by the Romanian border, ostensibly because of their advantage in accuracy over long-range missiles, the report added.
Russia escalated its attacks against Ukrainian port infrastructure following its unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023, targeting Ukraine's river ports Izmail and Reni near the Romanian border.
Daria Shulzhenko
