A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights," North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said. "I regard this as part of the sacred mission we must execute for our brothers and comrades-in-arms."
"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with former NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg on July 11, 2024, in Washington, U.S. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Editor's note: This story was updated with a comment by Ukraine's Presidential Office.
Belgium, Slovenia and Spain are among seven NATO countries reluctant to grant Ukraine an invitation to join NATO, Politico reported on Oct. 23, citing four anonymous U.S. and NATO officials and diplomats.
While Germanyand theU.S. are already known to have reservations about the move, the outlet reported that Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain are "hiding behind" those two countries, and slow-walking President Volodymyr Zelensky's ongoing request.
In mid-October, Zelensky unveiled his five-point victory plan, which includes Kyiv's invitation to join NATO placed at the top of the list. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said on Oct. 17 that the alliance does not currently have such plans.
"Countries like Belgium, Slovenia or Spain are hiding behind the U.S. and Germany. They are reluctant," one of the NATO officials told Politico.
The nations "support it in the abstract, but once it gets closer to materializing" they will start to oppose the idea more publicly, they added.
Two other countries — Hungary and Slovakia — are not backing Ukraine's NATO membership due to their pro-Kremlin leanings, Politico reported.
Later on Oct.24 in a comment to Babel, presidential press secretary Serhii Nykyforov said Ukraine's invitation to NATO is supported by the absolute majority of member countries.
Zelensky said earlier this week that Germany has softened its stance on Ukraine's NATO membership, but remains "skeptical."
"But still, the U.S. will have an impact on this... We believe that they are consolidating their thoughts on NATO and this has an impact on, for example, Hungary and Slovakia," he said at a meeting with journalists, attended by the Kyiv Independent.
Kyiv submitted its application to join in September 2022, and in July 2024 the alliance affirmed Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership" — though Ukraine has not received any definitive news about its future accession.
According to the information obtained by the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv had planned to ask for NATO membership within the months, not years.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Martin Fornusek
