"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 skyline of Tallinn, Estonia, on Oct. 16, 2016. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Estonia's ruling Reform Party introduced legislation to strip the voting rights of non-citizens, the vast majority of whom are ethnic Russians, the Estonian media outlet ERR reported on April 1. The proposal would only impact local elections.
Tensions between Moscow and Tallinn have significantly sharpened since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine.
Estonia has been one of the leading military donors to Ukraine in terms of share of GDP since the beginning of the all-out war in 2022. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, a member of the Reform Party, and other Estonian politicians have also been particularly outspoken about the threat that Russia poses to Europe.
Around one-third of Estonia's population consists of ethnic Russians. Around 83,000 are Russian citizens, and according to various estimates, some 80,000 are stateless and have no citizenship. The bulk of non-citizens are also ethnic Russians.
Previous bills have been floated by the Estonian government, which has said the reasoning derives from a concern that the ability of Russian citizens to vote could be a national security threat.
"This is a matter of security, and Tallinn simply throwing its hands up and refusing to address it is comical," said lawmaker Riina Solman.
"Estonian language and pro-Estonian sentiment are a priority for us, which we will use to remove Russian influence from Tallinn city management," Solman added.
Toma Istomina
