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.
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov arrives on the second day of a European Union (EU) summit at The European Council Building in Brussels on Oct. 2, 2020. (Olivier Hoslet/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The Bulgarian parliament does not have enough votes to support the signing of Bulgaria's bilateral security treaty with Ukraine due to a shift in stance from the strongest party, Euractiv reported on Dec. 20.
Former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, head of the conservative-populist Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, suggested that the treaty is no longer beneficial amid expectations of peace talks.
Debates about a potential ceasefire deal are coming into focus as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump pledged to push Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table while Ukrainian officials signaled openness to a diplomatic resolution.
Dimitar Glavchev, the prime minister of Bulgaria's caretaker government, was expected to sign the deal with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels on Dec. 19. Glavchev unexpectedly backed out of signing the document, saying he needed to seek approval of the parliament first.
Kyiv has already penned 25 bilateral security agreements with international partners based on a pledge made by the G7 last July. Bulgaria is one of the few EU countries that are yet to sign such a deal with Ukraine, alongside Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Malta, and Cyprus.
"Six months ago, we would have categorically supported such an agreement," said Borissov, whose party has supported Ukraine but now joined pro-Russian parties in opposition to the deal.
Borissov pointed not only to the ongoing discussions about peace in the international arena but also to internal political reasons, saying that such a deal should be signed by an elected government rather than the caretaker cabinet.
Glavchev conceded on Dec. 19 that he would not be signing the document amid the parliamentary opposition and would leave the step to the elected cabinet, the Sofia Globe reported. Borissov did not rule out supporting a bilateral security agreement signed by the next government if "mutually beneficial" to Sofia and Kyiv.
The Glavchev cabinet will serve until a new government is appointed following the October elections, in which Borissov's GERB won 25.52% of the vote, the strongest result.
Bulgaria has provided Ukraine with a variety of aid since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but the matter has been contentious due to significant pro-Russian sentiment in the country and opposition from President Rumen Radev.
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.
Asami Terajima
