"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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech on the stand in front of the first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon received by Ukraine, congratulating the Ukrainian military on Aug. 4, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Countries participating in the Coalition of the Willing are set to meet in Ukraine on April 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 1.
"(We) will hold a meeting on Friday, there will be a meeting of our military teams among several countries, a narrow circle of countries. Those who will be ready to deploy a contingent in one form or another," Zelensky said.
The visit will be "the first in-depth meeting" of the coalition, he said.
On March 31, Zelensky and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed plans to hold a meeting in Ukraine this week with military representatives from the "coalition of the willing." Thus far, the coalition has met in other European countries or virtually.
"There were consultations, and this will be the first in-depth meeting. We will (work on) some clarification and some details. It is important that it will be based on the prepared proposals of the Ukrainian side," Zelensky said.
The coalition is a group of countries that have pledged peacekeeping troops and other security guarantees for Ukraine in a potential ceasefire.
The "coalition of the willing" has met repeatedly to determine security guarantees and a peacekeeping force for Ukraine. Leaders of 31 nations met in Paris on March 27 at a summit for the coalition.
Several countries, including France and the U.K., which lead the coalition, have pledged to send troops on the ground to enforce a potential ceasefire.
The U.S. has been holding peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in separate meetings. Ukrainian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia on March 25.
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.
Asami Terajima
