"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.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on May 16, 2022, in Brussels, Belgium. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
Canada is interested in partaking in conversations about security guarantees for Ukraine, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Feb. 18.
"We want to be part of these conversations regarding security guarantees," Joly told reporters in Brussels on Feb. 18.
"We want to be part of conversations linked to more Canadians being involved in protecting Ukraine."
Joly's comments come a day before Canada is set to join European countries for a high-level summit in Paris, where leaders will discuss security options for Ukraine. The summit comes on the heels of a Feb. 18 meeting between U.S. and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia that did not include Ukraine.
Canada is asking the U.S. to keep Ukraine at the table in any talks with Russia, Joly said.
The West cannot "let Russia go unchecked," she said.
"Many Canadians have been inspired by what is going on in Ukraine because we know they're fighting for the right reasons."
The election of U.S. President Donald Trump has disrupted the Western alliance supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Trump has said he expects Europe to replace the U.S. as Kyiv's chief source of military aid, and that the U.S. will not send troops to Ukraine as part of any future Western peacekeeping force.
Canada, home to one of the world's largest Ukrainian populations, has been a key ally of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ottawa has provided over $3 billion in military assistance to Kyiv, including advanced weaponry, drones, and vehicles.
Timothy Ash
