"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.
A European Union (EU) flag next to the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Nov. 10, 2023. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The European Union is preparing its 17th package of sanctions against Russia amid Moscow's demands for lifting some Western restrictions as part of its ceasefire terms, EUobserver reported on March 27, citing four unnamed EU diplomats.
Following two days of talks in Saudi Arabia, Washington agreed on March 25 to help facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports by lowering maritime insurance costs and enhancing access to global ports and payment systems. U.S. President Donald Trump said later that Washington was "looking at" the possibility of lifting some sanctions on Russia to secure the Black Sea ceasefire.
In the meantime, work on a new round of EU sanctions against Russia has started and is “at a very early stage,” one of the sources told EUobserver. The European Commission is expected to present its proposals in early summer, another diplomat told the media outlet.
Commenting on the timeline, one of the diplomats told the outlet that "it’s too speculative at this point," adding that the bloc will be watching how the ceasefire talks between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia will unfold.
"Keep up the pressure on Russia. It was very clear that the sanctions stay in place. What we want is a just and lasting peace agreement. That is the goal," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on March 27 following a "Coalition of the Willing" summit in Paris.
According to European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper, Russia's "unconditional withdrawal" from Ukraine is one of the main preconditions for changing or lifting EU sanctions.
Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a ban on energy infrastructure strikes. However, Moscow insists that the Black Sea ceasefire will take effect only if the West lifts sanctions on Rosselkhozbank and other financial institutions linked to food trade, restoring their access to the SWIFT payment system.
The Kremlin is also demanding the removal of sanctions on Russian food producers, exporters, and Russian-flagged cargo vessels involved in agricultural trade.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Chris York
