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.
Illustrative purposes only: Barbed lines a wall of a Lefortovo prison wall in Moscow, Russia, on April 4, 2023. (Vlad Karkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A Russian military court sentenced Ukrainian Krystyna Liubashenko to 12 years in prison for publicly playing a recording of an anti-war speech and a Ukrainian anthem and launching balloons with a Russian opposition flag, Mediazona reported on June 17.
Liubashenko, the 35-year-old mother of two daughters, was sentenced under the charges of "spreading disinformation about the war" and "taking part in a terrorist organization," the Russian independent media outlet wrote.
Russia has widely used the charge of supporting or planning "terrorism" as a means of suppressing any perceived dissent against the regime or prosecuting Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians.
The woman's defense said that she was tricked and blackmailed into coming to Moscow and carrying out the protest.
Liubashenko, her two daughters, her mother, who is suffering from cancer, and her grandfather with dementia fled Kyiv after the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022 to Switzerland, where they reportedly received asylum.
Facing financial difficulties, Liubashenko met a neighbor who identified himself as Vitalii Yurchenko, purportedly another Ukrainian refugee. The man lent her money to go to Moscow and hold an anti-war protest, namely by letting off balloons with blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag, Mediazona wrote.
Only later did Yurchenko insist on playing the anti-war recordings and flying the white-blue-white flag associated with the Russian opposition and with the Freedom of Russia Legion that fights against the Kremlin.
The legion was declared a "terrorist" group by Russia last March, making it possible to imprison people for up to 20 years for involvement with the group.
Liubashenko initially refused the new demands, but Yurchenko threatened that he would report her to the Swiss authorities, who would take her daughters away, the defense said, presenting correspondence as evidence of blackmail.
The woman was detained on May 8, 2023. Her lawyer pointed out how quickly the law enforcement agencies were able to step in and detain her, suggesting the whole protest was a setup designed to entrap her.
The defense asked the court to close the case due to lack of evidence, while the prosecution demanded 15 years in prison.
More than 7,000 Ukrainian civilians have been taken captive by Russia since the start of the full-scale war, said Oleksandra Matviychuk, the head of the Center for Civil Liberties, in March.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Abbey Fenbert
