"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.
Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister, speaks during a campaign rally in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on April 8, 2025. (Gavin John/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was updated with the latest results.
Canada's Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, won the country's federal elections on April 28 in a campaign shaped by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and expansionist rhetoric.
CTV and CBC reported that the Liberals are on the course to win a minority government and secure their fourth consecutive term in power.
The elections marked a stunning turnaround as the Conservative Party of Pierre Poilievre, whose political style has been likened to Trump, was safely leading the polls mere months before the election.
The Liberals' popularity surged with the resignation of former Prime Minister and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and Trump's increasingly hostile policies toward Canada, including 25% tariffs on Canadian imports and calls for absorbing the country as the U.S.'s 51st state.
"Thank you, Canada. Our strength lies in our resolve to work together. United, we will build Canada strong," Carney said.
The latest results show that the Liberal Party is leading with 167 seats, still short of the 172 needed for a majority.
The Conservatives are projected to come second with 145 seats, followed by the regionalist Bloc Quebecois with 23 seats, the center-left New Democratic Party with seven seats, and the Greens with a single seat.
Canada has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine throughout the full-scale war with Russia, providing the country with 19.7 billion Canadian dollars ($14.2 billion) in aid since 2022, including 4.5 billion Canadian dollars in military assistance ($3.25 billion).
Carney, an economist who became Canada's prime minister in March after Trudeau's resignation, has pledged continued support for Kyiv.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
