"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.
Photo for illustrative purposes. A passenger plane approaching Frankfurt Airport, Germany, on April 1, 2024. (Silas Stein / picture alliance via Getty Images)
The European Union condemned on May 3 Russia's unilateral decision to launch passenger flights from Moscow to the Georgian city of Sukhumi, the capital of Russian-occupied Abkhazia.
"This action, taken without the consent of the Georgian authorities and in the absence of a necessary international aviation code for the Sukhumi airport, is yet another step by the Russian Federation violating Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," a statement from Anouar El Anouni, Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, read.
Russia resumed regular flights with Sukhumi on May 1, with the city's airport receiving the first commercial flight in 32 years. Sanctioned airline carrier UVT Aero currently operates the flights.
Abkhazia, an occupied region internationally recognized as part of Georgia, continues to lie under de facto Russian control. Moscow has held a grip on Abkhazia since the Russo-Georgian war in 2008, when it rolled troops into the region and declared Abkhazia and the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia to be independent states.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) cancelled Sukhumi aviation code in 2006 having refused to recognize Russia's occupation of the region.
"The European Union reiterates its firm support for Georgia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders," the statement adds.
As Russia continues to seek to regain control and influence over former Soviet states, the Kremlin has repeatedly sought to influence relations with Georgia.
The country's ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, has drawn criticism for steering Georgia closer to Russia while hindering its EU accession.
Following disputed election in late 2024, mass protest errupted led by Georgian citizen concerned over perceived democratic backsliding as well as Russian influence in domestic affairs.
Since the election, a number of Western countries have imposed sanctions on Georgia over the perceived democratic backsliding. On Jan. 27, the European Union suspended parts of its visa facilitation agreement with Georgia.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Katie Marie Davies
