"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.
Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, gestures at a campaign rally at The PPL Center on October 29, 2024, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. With one week until Election Day, Trump is campaigning for re-election in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Donald Trump is the projected winner in the battleground U.S. state of Pennsylvania, worth 19 Electoral College votes.
This puts Trump only four electoral votes from the 270 needed to secure the victory.
Pennsylvania, a pivotal swing state with a large Ukrainian population, has played a key role in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The candidates have campaigned aggressively in the state, with both Trump and Harris holding dueling rallies there the night before election day.
Harris reportedly spent the entire day in Pennsylvania on the eve of the election, knocking on doors and leading five rallies throughout the state.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine became a defining issue on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. Harris supporters ran ads in the state highlighting her commitment to Kyiv in hopes of winning votes from the traditionally conservative Eastern European community.
During the Sept. 10 presidential debate, held in Pennsylvania, Harris appealed directly to the state's Polish-American community while accusing Trump of currying favor with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Why don't you tell the 800,000 Polish Americans right here in Pennsylvania how quickly you would give up for the sake of favor and what you think is a friendship with what is known to be a dictator who would eat you for lunch," she said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky even visited Pennsylvania ahead of the November election, touring the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant — located in U.S. President Joe Biden's hometown — to thank workers for producing critically-needed 155 mm shells for Ukraine.
Zelensky's visit drew ire from U.S. Republicans, who claimed the trip constituted "election interference."
The Trump campaign had also planned a joint appearance in Pennsylvania with a foreign leader. Trump was expected to appear with Polish President Andrzej Duda at a monument at a Polish-American Roman Catholic shrine near Philadelphia, but the event was reportedly canceled.
Presidential elections in the U.S. are not determined by popular vote, but by a majority of votes in the Electoral College. Each state delivers a set number of votes based on population, and the candidate who wins the majority in that state typically receives that state's total electoral votes.
Historically a tossup state, Pennsylvania's electoral votes went to Democrats in the six presidential elections leading up to 2016. The state flipped for Trump in 2016, but Biden won by 1.2% in 2020.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Owen Racer
