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.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Sept. 13, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A second tranche of EU macro-financial assistance totaling 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) has been given to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on April 24.
The EU approved the four-year Ukraine Facility in February, allocating 33 billion euros ($35 billion) in loans and 17 billion euros ($18 billion) in grants.
The first tranche of 4.5 billion euros ($4.8 billion) was given to Ukraine on March 20.
"Ukraine is carrying a heavy burden on its shoulders for all of us. Today, we disburse an additional (1.5 billion euros), under the (50 billion euros) Ukraine Facility," von der Leyen said in a post on X.
"This is vital to keep Ukraine's state & services running while it fights back the aggressor. Europe remains united and resolute," she added.
Von der Leyen's claim that Europe is "united" is slightly undermined by vocal yet so far ineffective opposition to the aid from Hungary, which has accused Ukraine of carrying out a "witch hunt" against Hungarian businesses operating in the country.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on April 22 said in response his country would black the latest tranche, despite the four-year Ukraine Facility agreed on by all 27 EU leaders – including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – in February.
Szijjarto's latest complaint against Ukraine was in relation to allegations that the country was planning to revoke several of the distribution permits for medicine from the Hungarian pharmaceutical company Richter.
Budapest has repeatedly blocked financial and military aid to Ukraine and is broadly seen as the most Kremlin-proximate EU country.
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Liliane Bivings
