"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 NATO flag and the EU flag on June 9, 2023, in Riga, Latvia. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Gints Ivuskans/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
The European Council said on Oct. 17 frozen Russian assets should "remain immobilized" until Moscow ends its full-scale war on Ukraine and makes reparations for damages caused to the country.
Estimates of the damage that Russian aggression over the past decade has caused to Ukrainian infrastructure have varied. The World Bank said in February 2024 it could be as high as $486 billion.
European countries hold roughly two-thirds of the $300 billion Russian sovereign assets immobilized after the outbreak of the full-scale war. While hesitant to confiscate the assets outright, the EU devised a plan to use windfall profits to fund Ukraine's reconstruction and defense needs.
The European Council reiterated it would adhere to the "security and defense policy" of "certain member states" regarding the use of revenues generated from the frozen assets, and added it would continue to "address all relevant legal and financial aspects."
The agreement followed Hungary's announcement it would block a key sanctions reform until after the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5.
The deal is part of a broader G7 initiative to provide €45 billion ($50 billion) in aid to Kyiv, struggling to counter a renewed Russian offensive that has severely damaged its power infrastructure.
Under the G7 plan, profits from Russia's frozen assets will gradually be used to repay the multi-billion-euro loan. EU officials said that the 35 billion loan will be "undesignated" and "untargeted," allowing Ukraine maximum flexibility in how it spends the funds. The EU expects to start distributing the money early next year.
Nate Ostiller
