"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.
Construction of fortifications in Zaporizhzhia as contractors, in cooperation with the military, build state-of-the-art shelters for personnel that will protect them from artillery fire and FPV drones, March 24, 2024. (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The construction of fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and nearby settlements is nearly finished, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Nov. 30.
Ukraine has been building heavy fortifications near the city of Zaporizhzhia in preparations for a potential Russian offensive in the region.
"We are completing the next stage of fortification construction. ... The multi-level defense of Zaporizhzhia and nearby settlements is almost complete," Fedorov said via Telegram.
Fedorov said the designs for the fortifications have been "significantly improved" compared to previous versions and that the modernized defenses are particularly adept at repelling drone attacks.
Fedorov's announcement comes after warnings from Kyiv of a possible Russian push in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 25 that Ukraine is tracking Russian troop movement in the southern region, and has observed "existing threats."
Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, said on Nov. 11 that Russia could launch a renewed offensive on Zaporizhzhia Oblast "any day." Russia has also begun deploying assault groups to frontline positions in region, Voloshyn said.
Russia is also carrying out intense attacks in multiple sections of the eastern front, with attempts to break through Ukraine's defenses in Donetsk Oblast toward the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
Russia is currently advancing at its fastest rate since 2022, according to analysts from the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
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