Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"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.
Czech President Petr Pavel welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the first courtyard of the Prague castle during Zelensky's official visit on May 4, 2025. (Ray Baseley/The Kyiv Independent)
The Czech ammunition initiative will deliver up to 1.8 million artillery shells to Ukraine by the end of 2025, Czech President Petr Pavel said on May 4, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.
The announcement represents an additional 300,000 shells committed to Kyiv over what was announced by Prague earlier this year. Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova previously said that the country supplied 1.5 million rounds of various calibers in 2024 and had enough funds to continue at the same pace until this fall.
The initiative, backed by contributions from Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other countries, has significantly boosted Ukraine's artillery, improving the shell ratio from 1-to-10 in Russia's favor to 1-to-2, Pavel said.
The initiative was launched last year amid Ukrainian shell shortages, primarily caused by delays in U.S. military aid in early 2024. On April 27, Ukraine received 400,000 high-caliber rounds through the initiative.
Pavel said that Prague intends to deliver additional shells next year but that decisions depends on the results of this year's parliamentary elections.
Czechia's leading opposition party, ANO, said in January that it aims to suspend the initiative if it wins the parliamentary elections in October 2025.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrivedin the Czech Republic on May 4 for an official visit, is slated to meet with Czechia opposition members on May 5 in an attempt to bridge relations, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist present at the official visit.
Today's visit to Prague marks Zelensky's first visit to the country since July 2023. In additional to additional shell production, the two leaders are also set to speak on additional areas of cooperation to support Kyiv's fleet of F-16 fighter jets.
Czech Health Minister Vlastimil Valek also announced the Czechia and Ukraine will also sign a memorandum on mental health cooperation that will include human resources in experience-sharing as well as an undisclosed investment to support mental health assistance for Ukraine.
Prague has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, supplying military aid, leading EU efforts to secure weapons, and hosting hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
