"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.
The construction of reactor units 5 and 6 at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant in Netishyn, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, western Ukraine, on April 11, 2024. (Energoatom/Telegram)
Ukraine's nuclear energy agency Energoatom has started building reactor units 5 and 6 at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant using U.S. technology that would help prevent power outages in case of Russian attacks, Energoatom's press service said on April 15.
Ukraine also aims to secure additional power-generating capacity as the country's largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia Oblast has remained under Russian occupation since March 2022.
After the reactor units 5 and 6 are built and units 3 and 4 are put into operation, the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant's power generating capacity will exceed the one of the Zaporizhzhia plant, according to Energoatom head Petro Kotin.
The Khmelnytskyi plant located in Ukraine's west will then replace the Zaporizhzhia plant as the largest one in Europe.
The first cube of concrete was laid on April 11 for Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant's unit 5, which will become the first reactor unit in Ukraine built using the U.S.'s AR1000 technology, Energoatom reported.
"A special feature of the American AP 1000 technology is the ability to balance the units. Today, the enemy is attacking and destroying the balancing capacities of the Ukrainian energy sector, so the construction of units with the ability to maneuver is crucial for us," said Energy Minister German Galushchenko.
"This is a major geopolitical project of common interest for Ukraine and the United States. The technologies that we will build and develop together will push Russians out of the European nuclear energy market."
The construction is being carried out jointly with the U.S.'s Westinghouse Electric Company. Ukraine plans to build a total of nine power units using Westinghouse's technology, according to U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Martin Fornusek
