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.
Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz attends the 4th Visegrad Group (V4)+Turkey Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia April 30, 2019. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned Poland's Ambassador Bartosz Cichocki over recent comments made by the Polish Secretary of State and Head of the International Policy BureauMarcin Przydacz.
When asked in an interview if Warsaw’s ban on Ukrainian grain imports had harmed the countries' relations, Przydacz suggested that Kyiv should "start appreciating the role that Poland has played for Ukraine in recent months and years."
Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, said that "statements about the alleged ingratitude of Ukrainians for Poland's help are false and unacceptable."
"We are convinced that Ukrainian-Polish friendship is much deeper than political expediency. Politics should not call into question mutual understanding and strength of relations between our peoples," added Nikolenko.
Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the President's Office, also reacted to Przydacz's statement, calling it "an attempt to impose on Polish society the baseless opinion that Ukraine does not value help from Poland."
"This is obviously a game for one's own opportunistic interests, which has nothing to do with reality. Manipulation," Sybiha wrote on Facebook.
"The reality is an indisputable fact that every day Ukraine thanks Poland and other allied countries through its supreme sacrifice and bravery of our heroes on the battlefield. Polish weapons in the hands of the Ukrainian military effectively deter the Russian aggressor, and supporting us with weapons is not charity, but an investment in Poland's own security."
Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria signed a joint declaration in Warsaw on July 19, asking the European Commission for a ban extension on domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds at least until the end of 2023.
The EU ban was first put in place in early May and then extended, set to expire by Sep. 15. Before that, the Central European countries imposed unilateral bans on importing Ukrainian grain and other products, citing their need to protect their domestic markets. They are still obligated to transport these products elsewhere.
Ukraine's overload of food exports to the European Union has become a thorn in Kyiv's relationship with its close neighbors against the backdrop of a long-running political conflict between these countries and the European Commission.
Elsa Court
