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.
Larysa Fesenko, winner of Ukraine's Global Teacher Prize 2023 in the "Unbreakable" category. (Photo via Osvitoriia)
Ukraine awarded five teachers with the 2023 Global Teachers Prize on Oct. 7, the organization Osvitoriia (Education) announced.
The prize recognizes five outstanding educators in five separate categories, and has been granted to teachers in Ukraine since 2017. The winners receive a grant of one million hryvnias to devote to educational initiatives.
The "Preschool" award went to Victoria Dushyna, a preschool educator in Kharkiv. Dushina established a club for internally displaced childred after the outbreak of full-scale war.
Larysa Fesenko, a lyceum director from a village in the Kupiansk district, won the prize in the "Unbreakable" category. Fesenko survived 45 days of captivity by occupying Russian forces.
"I could not even imagine that I would be captured in my nightmares," Fesenko said.
"My whole life ran before my eyes, I was told that I would not return and that everything I was there, what position I held... I was told to forget. 'You just don't exist anymore.' While I was there, I told my cellmates about the school and how well I worked there."
Speech therapist Kateryna Yakushevska of Mykolaiv was awarded the "Choice with Heart" prize. She taught her last regular lesson on Feb. 23, 2022, the night before a Russian missile destroyed her school during the launch of the full-scale invasion.
The "Innovator" category went to Maksym Hvozdetskyi, a physics teacher from Zaporizhzhia, who was inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic and aftermath of the Russian invasion to create interactive videos to engage his students.
Petro Sitek, age 23, received this year's "Young Teacher" prize. Sitek teaches civic education in Lviv.
"We need to change our approach to education. We need to focus on the kind of personalities we help to shape, not on the knowledge they acquire," Sitek said.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Alexander Khrebet
