"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.
Georgian police officers stand guard as protestors demonstrate against the Russian-inspired "foreign agent" law introduced by the Georgian government in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 14, 2024. (Mirian Meladze/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Brussels has frozen 30 million euros ($32 million) in defense sector funding for Georgia after halting its EU accession process in June, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski said on July 9.
EU granted candidate status to Georgia at the end of 2023, but relations with Tbilisi deteriorated after Georgia's parliament passed a "foreign agents" law despite mass protests and a veto by Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili.
The law mirrors repressive Russian legislation used to crack down on Kremlin regime critics, leading Washington and Brussels to denounce the bill as incompatible with Western values.
The European Council said on June 27 that the law represents a back-sliding on the steps set out for Georgia's candidate status, "de facto leading to a halt of the accession process."
"Other measures are being considered if the situation further deteriorates."
"It is sad to see EU-Georgia relations at such a low point, when they could have been at an all-time high," Herczynski said.
The EPF assists in funding security and defense to EU partners, including Moldova, North Macedonia, and the African Union. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been supported with 6.1 billion euros ($6.6 billion) in EPF funding.
The U.S. Defense Department said on July 5 that it has indefinitely postponed joint military exercises with Georgia amid a comprehensive evaluation of its bilateral relationship with Tbilisi.
Peter Leonard
