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.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
Washington Post: Leaked document reveals US doubts about Ukraine's counteroffensive

According to a U.S. intelligence alleged assessment from one of the possibly secret documents said to be leaked, Ukraine's problems with the accumulation of troops, ammunition, and equipment could allegedly lead to its military falling "well short" of Kyiv's initial goals for the expected counteroffensive, the Washington Post reported on April 10.
The reportedly leaked assessment dated by early February warns of considerable "force generation and sustainment shortfalls" and the likelihood that Ukraine's future counteroffensive will result in only "modest territorial gains," the WP wrote.
The publication called it a "marked departure" from the White House's public statements about the combat capability of the Ukrainian army.
The U.S. intelligence assessment, cited by the WP, indicates that Kyiv's strategy is to retake territory in the east and push south to cut Russia's land bridge to the occupied Crimea.
However, Russia's powerful defensive fortifications, combined with "enduring Ukrainian deficiencies in training and munitions supplies, will probably strain progress and exacerbate casualties during the offensive," reads the document.

The information on the document was apparently obtained through intelligence and radio engineering, likely involving sensitive methods used by the CIA and the National Security Agency, according to the media outlet. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which appears to have prepared the document, refused to comment on the matter, as did the National Security Council.
The previously undisclosed document is part of a trove of U.S. and NATO intelligence documents that were leaked over the past couple of months, appearing on the social media platform Discord.
The leaked documents, the source of which remains unknown, provide a grim assessment of the strength of Moscow's war machine. But the information also suggests the Ukrainian military is in dire straits, too. Among other things, some of the documents outline critical shortages of Ukrainian air defense munitions.
Although Ukrainian officials have dismissed the documents as "fake," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that Kyiv had changed some of its military plans following the leak.

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