"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.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The national flag of the Republic of Belarus flies at the 12th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum on Nov. 2, 2023. (Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Belarus has welcomed an Easter truce between Ukraine and Russia, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 20.
Russia declared a temporary Easter ceasefire from April 19 until midnight on April 21 despite later violating the truce multiple times, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky and soldiers on Ukraine's front lines. Belarusian authorities have parroted Kremlin narratives and stood behind Russia as it continues to wage its war against Ukraine.
"This move was taken on the eve of Easter, which makes it particularly significant and symbolic," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry, in its statement, repeated Russian narratives. Saying that Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia are "fraternal nations," an idea normalized in the Soviet Union and considered to undermine the distinct identities of Ukrainians and Belarusians.
The Ministry claimed it hopes for a "diplomatic settlement" to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
"We hope that the truce will lead to de-escalation of tensions and will allow moving on to a diplomatic settlement," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said.
Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.
Ukraine has already agreedto a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to theterms. So far, Moscow has refused.
"Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week," U.S. President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post on April 20.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
