"(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.
An F-16 fighter jet is pictured after the first delivery of Norway's old F-16 fighter aircraft to Romania at Rygge Air Force Base, Norway on Nov. 28, 2023. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
The Czech Republic is ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters and L-39 training aircraft in cooperation with its partners from "the coalition of the willing," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on May 5 during a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The day prior, Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived in the Czech Republic for an official visit. One of the goals of the Ukrainian president's visit was to discuss further cooperation with Prague on artillery supplies and assistance with the Ukrainian fleet of F-16s.
"We are ready to deepen our contribution to the training of the Ukrainian military. We have agreed that together with our partners from the 'coalition of the willing' we will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and L-39s," Fiala said.
During the press conference, Fiala said that Ukrainian pilots will be trained at bases in the Czech Republic. The Czech prime minister added that Ukrainian pilots are already training on Czech models supplied to Ukraine. He did not specify which aircraft models he was talking about.
Earlier, Zelensky said that Ukraine is working with the Czech Republic to launch a Ukrainian-Czech school to train pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
"Obviously, as of now, for security reasons, we cannot open such a base in Ukraine, and Russian strikes continue every day. Therefore, we are working with partners so that such schools can open outside of Ukraine, and this will happen," Zelensky said.
In 2023, Ukraine and its allies created an aviation coalition to provide Ukraine with F-16 combat aircraft.
The first batch of F-16s was delivered to Ukraine by the Netherlands, which was announced in October 2024. Denmark sent the second batch of aircraft, which arrived in Ukraine in December 2024.
Four countries — the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway — agreed to provide F-16s to Kyiv.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Khrystyna Zhevlakova
