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.
Ukraine to buy 300,000 courses of Molnupiravir, an antiviral Covid-19 treatment pill by pharmaceutical company Merck. (Merck & Co)
The Health Ministry has signed an agreement to purchase Molnupiravir for the treatment of Covid-19, Deputy Health Minister Oleksandr Komarida announced on Dec. 17. Ukraine will purchase 300,000 courses of experimental antiviral pills.
“Molnupiravir is a medication that blocks an enzyme needed by the virus to reproduce the genetic code. This should prevent the virus from multiplying and reduce the risk of severe disease,” said Komarida. "The drug is a pill, so it has no special storage requirements and is convenient to take.”
Molnupiravir was developed by the science and technology company Merck & Co. in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
According to the company's latest news release, early treatment with Molnupiravir significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization or death in at-risk, unvaccinated adults with Covid-19. More recent preclinical evidence indicates that Molnupiravir has antiviral activity against Omicron, a new fast-spreading Covid-19 strain that has just been detected in Ukraine.
On Dec. 16, Ukraine signed a contract to buy 300,000 courses of another experimental antiviral Covid-19 treatment pill, Paxlovid, developed by Pfizer. It reduces the level of hospitalization or death for adults at risk suffering from Covid-19 by 89% and is effective against the Omicron strain.
On Nov. 19, European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued advice on the use of Molnupiravir for the treatment of Covid-19 in those who have at least one risk factor for developing severe illness. EMA suggests Molnupiravir pills be taken as soon as Covid-19 is detected and within five days of the start of symptoms, twice a day.
The UK was the first to authorize Molnupiravir Covid-19 pills, Reuters reported.
Victoria Petryk is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. She studied philology at Kyiv National Linguistic University. She worked at the Embassy of Israel in Kyiv as an information officer before joining the Kyiv Post as a staff writer in October 2021.
