"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.
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 Kriti King, a crude oil tanker entering the Bosphorus on Nov. 22, 2023, heading towards the Black Sea and the port of Novorossiysk, Russia. Photo for illustrative purposes. (John Wreford/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The United Arab Emirates introduced a ban on ships bearing the flag of the African nation of Eswatini, signaling further restrictions on "shadow fleet" vessels carrying Russian oil, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 8.
Russia's "shadow fleet" is a group of older and often uninsured vessels used by Russia to ship out its oil while avoiding international sanctions. Ships carrying the flag of Eswatini have transported oil for Russia.
According to Bloomberg, among the 18 Eswatini-flagged ships visible on international shipping data, the ownership of at least 16 ships is unknown. Several of those vessels have reportedly carried Russian and Iranian oil.
The Swedish Navy warned in April that the activities of the "shadow fleet" may go beyond circumventing sanctions, as these vessels may also be conducting espionage in the Baltic Sea.
The EU, the U.S., and other of Ukraine's partners have imposed extensive sanctions against vessels helping Russia to dodge sanctions on oil.
Mykola Kolisnyk
