"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.
A Bulgarian national flag flies on a government building in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Friday, March 29, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Oliver Bunic/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Bulgarian Parliament's Committee on Culture and Media voted down a bill on Sept. 19 proposed by its chairperson belonging to the Vuzrazhdane (Revival) Party to create a registry of "foreign agents."
Founded in 2014 and described by some as pro-Russian, Revival came in third in Bulgaria's snap parliamentary election in June, securing 41 seats in the 240-seat parliament. Revival has supported maintaining Bulgaria's "deep ties" with Russia.
Despite Revival's claims that its proposed foreign agent law is similar to U.S. law, in both Bulgaria and Russia, individuals working as "foreign agents" would be barred from working in educational institutions and certain ministries and "must mark…any material (they) create with a large inscription on the title page — foreign agent. Just like in Russia," public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said.
A similar foreign agents law was signed into law in Georgia by the ruling Georgian Dream party in June and has been criticized for enabling authorities to monitor NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20% of their income from abroad.
Washington and Brussels have denounced the bill as incompatible with Western values, and the European Council froze Georgia's EU accession process in response to its passage.
Initially a hesitant partner, Bulgaria has become increasingly supportive of Kyiv as the war has progressed.
Bulgaria has provided Ukraine with a variety of aid since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but pro-Russian sentiment has remained strong in the country.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Peter Leonard
