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.
Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
A Russian serviceman patrols the territory of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on May 1, 2022. (Photo by ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 22 that based on intelligence reports, Russia is considering a terrorist attack at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant through radiation leakage.
“Russia uses the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as an element in its aggression. It occupies the plant. It uses it to cover the shelling of neighboring cities. It keeps weapons and troops there,” the president said.
“Now our intelligence has received information that Russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. A terrorist attack with radiation leakage. They have prepared everything for this.”
Zelensky reminded that the potential radiation leakage would not be limited to Ukraine and that Russia demonstrated a willingness to conduct terrorist attacks with the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on June 6.
The Zaporizhzhia station, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been occupied by Russia since March 2022. During regular Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure, the plant was fully disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid several times.
In June this year, the plant's stability was put at risk by the draining of the Kakhovka reservoir, which the plant uses as a water source, especially for the ponds that cool the reactors. The situation prompted a monitoring mission by the International Atomic Energy Agency's chief Rafael Grossi.
On June 20, Ukraine’s military intelligence warned of a threat of an explosion or an accident at the plant as the Russian forces have additionally mined the station's cooler.
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.
Stephen Zhao
