"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.
The flags of the European Union and Ukraine outside the EU Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 24, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes (Ksenia Kuleshova/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ukraine will receive 3.5 billion euros ($3.8 billion) after the Council of the EU approved the third installment of non-refundable grants and loans under the Ukraine Facility program, the Council announced on March 17.
With this disbursement, Ukraine will have received nearly 20 billion euros ($21.7 billion) under the Ukraine Facility since the program was launched in early 2024.
"The Council concluded today that Ukraine had satisfied the necessary conditions laid down in the Ukraine Plan in order to receive a third disbursement from the Ukraine Facility," the statement reads.
The Ukraine Plan outlines Kyiv's strategy for recovery, reconstruction, and modernization and a reform timetable as part of Ukraine's EU accession process over the next four years.
To qualify for this funding, Ukraine implemented 13 key reforms, including measures to boost renewable energy, strengthen the independence of the energy regulator, and streamline border-crossing procedures in line with EU standards.
The EU approved the four-year Ukraine Facility in February 2024, allocating 33 billion euros ($36 billion) in loans and 17 billion euros ($18 billion) in grants to support Ukraine's economy and reconstruction efforts.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
