"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.
Street view on January 31, 2016 in Sofia, Bulgaria. (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
The Bulgarian parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a non-binding declaration on Feb. 21 that would seek to halt any deployment of military forces to Ukraine.
European leaders have increased discussions of sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in a potential peace settlement. Bulgaria backed out of signing a security deal with Ukraine in December citing potential peace talks.
The Bulgarian armed forces can not conduct military actions in Ukraine outside of its alliance and international commitments, the declaration read.
The declaration does not rule out Bulgarian forces participating in missions led by the United Nations (UN), EU, NATO, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
In the declaration, the Bulgarian parliament called for a lasting and just peace in Ukraine and believes peace can be achieved through negotiations that include all directly impacted parties.
166 lawmakers voted in favor of the declaration, 27 lawmakers voted against, and 11 lawmakers abstained from voting.
Lawmakers from the ruling majority voiced that the purpose of the declaration was to reassure the Bulgarian public.
"We hope that as Bulgarians we’ll look after our own national interest," Boyko Borissov, leader of the ruling GERB party said.
Pro-Russian lawmakers voted against an amendment condemning Russian aggression.
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.
European leaders have called for peacekeeping forces to be deployed in Ukraine to enforce a potential ceasefire.
The U.K. is reportedly leading a plan to have 30,000 peacekeeping troops deployed to Ukraine.
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
