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.
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack against Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad Oblast, on the morning of Jan. 4, 2024. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
The number of injured in a Russian attack against an industrial facility in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad Oblast, on the morning of Jan. 4 has risen to eight, the State Emergency Service said. One person was reported as killed.
The injured victims, who are employees of the enterprise, suffered shrapnel wounds and have been provided medical care, Governor Andrii Raikovych noted.
Falling debris damaged several buildings and set fire to a car, which firefighters promptly extinguished, the State Emergency Service said.
Ukraine's energy operator, Ukrenergo, later said that the enterprise damaged in the attack was its repair and production facility. The person killed and four of the injured were Ukrenergo's employees, the company said.
Overhead lines were also reportedly damaged by falling debris, resulting in outages.
The governor reported on the attack earlier on Jan. 4, initially saying that one person was killed and one injured.
At around 2:20 p.m. local time, the Air Force warned that another missile was heading toward the city.
Kropyvnytskyi, with a population of around 220,000, is the administrative center of Kirovohrad Oblast in central Ukraine.
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.
Dinara Khalilova
