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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers an address to the nation in the early hours of Feb. 22, following Russia's recognition of the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine as independent states.
The leadership of Ukraine is open to negotiations with Russia and the sides are now discussing the format of the talks, according to Serhiy Nykyforov, spokesman for President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Earlier on Feb. 25, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said that Ukraine offered to hold the negotiations in Warsaw, instead of Minsk, which was proposed by Russia. Then, according to Peskov, Ukraine stopped the conversation.
Nykyforov denied it and said that Ukraine was willing to negotiate, and the talks continue.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin offered Ukraine to meet in Minsk for negotiations, after launching an all-out war on the country in the early hours of Feb. 24. The Russian dictator wants Ukraine to agree to a neutrality status, that would prohibit it from ever joining NATO, which has been Ukraine's aspiration for a long time.
Zelensky said that everything would depend on the security guarantees that Ukraine can receive.
"We accepted the proposition of the Russian president (to negotiate)," wrote Nykyforov. "In these very hours the sides are discussing the place and time of the negotiations."
Russia is attacking Ukraine from several directions, and has launched an intense attack on the city of Kyiv, using airstrikes and deploying paratroopers.
The Russian invasion killed 137 Ukrainians on its first day on Feb. 24. The Ukrainian government said that over 1,000 Russian troops were killed on the first day, and added that it was the highest number of battlefield casualties that modern Russia has ever sustained in one day.
Olga Rudenko is the chief editor of the Kyiv Independent, an award-winning media start-up launched in November 2021 by the former editorial team of the Kyiv Post. Olga is the former deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Post. She has written for global publications, and was a fellow at the Chicago Booth School of Business in 2021.
She was featured on the cover of Time magazine in May 2022 as one of the publication’s Next Generation Leaders, and won the Women of Europe award in the “Woman in Action” category in December 2022.
Olga Rudenko is the author of the Ukraine Weekly newsletter, which focuses on key events that have shaped the week.
