In the first round on May 4, Simion won a massive 61% of Romania’s large diaspora vote, with his calls to patriotism resonating with Romanians who moved abroad in search of better opportunities.
Father Simon uses a mallet and plank to summon monks and visitors to afternoon prayers at the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)Father Isaiah leaves after dinner at the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Father Isaiah leaves after dinner at the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)Father Isaiah uses a crane to deliver supplies to the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)Father Isaiah uses a crane to deliver supplies to the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Father Isaiah uses a crane to lift supplies into the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)Father Isaiah uses a crane to lift supplies into the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Father Paisios is followed by cats walks at the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Father Paisios is followed by cats walks at the Simonopetra, or Simonos Petra Monastery, home of the all-male autonomous community of Agion Oros, or Holy Mountain, on the peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)Zelenskyy won’t be meeting with any Russian officials in Istanbul other than Putin, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said Tuesday on a YouTube show run by prominent Russian journalists in exile.
Lower-level talks would amount to simply “dragging out” any peace process, Podolyak said.European leaders have recently accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts, while he attempts to press his bigger army’s battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.
Russia effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, starting Monday, that was demanded by Ukraine and Western European leaders, when it fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine. Putin instead offered direct peace talks.But the wrangling over whether a ceasefire should come before the talks begin has continued.