"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.
Ukrainian gunner Vasyl Zozulia removes a smoking shell casing after firing the gun, as soldiers of the Ukrainian Army's 95th Brigade fire 105 mm artillery shells from a British-made L119 howitzer at Russian positions in the Lyman direction on Feb. 18, 2024, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
The Czech ammunition initiative had delivered another 400,000 high-caliber rounds to Ukraine as of the end of April, Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said on April 27.
Speaking on a Czech Television program, Cernochova reiterated that the initiative already supplied 1.5 million rounds of various calibers in 2024 and has enough funds to continue until this fall.
The initiative, backed by contributions from Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other countries, has significantly boosted Ukraine's artillery capabilities, Prague said. Cernochova revelead that other countries, such as Belgium, have also shown interest in participating.
The initiative was launched last year amid Ukrainian shell shortages, primarily caused by delays in U.S. military aid in early 2024.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky noted that the initiative had reduced the effectiveness of Russian artillery "by 500%" and improved the shell ratio from 1-to-10 in Russia's favor to 1-to-2.
"I don't want to tie myself down by any numbers," Cernochova said when asked by a news host whether the initiative aims to provide more rounds than last year.
"We will supply as much ammunition as we can find around the world. And we still have enough resources; they are now around an additional 1.5 million (rounds)."
Cernochova added that it will be up to donors whether the initiative will be able to secure and deliver the ammunition to Ukraine in the shortest possible time.
Czechia's leading opposition party, ANO, aims to suspend the initiative if it wins the parliamentary elections in October 2025, ANO's deputy leader, Karel Havlicek, said in January.
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.
Olena Goncharova
