A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"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.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks to the press at the end of the European Council Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on June 28, 2024. (LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP via Getty Images)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated calls for extending NATO's Article 5 security guarantees to Ukraine, arguing that doing so would demonstrate whether Russia is serious about peace, she said in a speech to the Italian Chamber of Deputies on March 19.
Article 5, the cornerstone of NATO's collective defense, says that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. It has only been invoked once, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.
"Extending NATO's Article 5 to Ukraine seems to be the simplest and most effective proposal of all, also because it would help call a possible bluff," Meloni said.
"If Russia does not plan to invade its neighbors again, it is not clear why it should not accept security guarantees that are only defensive."
Meloni first suggested on March 6 that NATO could extend Article 5 protection to Ukraine without granting Kyiv full membership in the alliance.
The Italian prime minister has positioned herself as a potential bridge between European leaders and the Trump administration, which has called Ukraine's NATO aspirations unrealistic.
Washington has instead backed the idea of European-led peacekeeping forces monitoring a potential ceasefire but has not offered concrete security guarantees to Ukraine.
Despite growing European support for bolstering Ukraine's security, Italy has ruled out sending peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine to enforce a potential ceasefire.
"We should not slavishly follow the proposals put forward by others simply because we have to decide what our position is. Our role is to participate with our own proposals," Meloni said, adding that her Article 5 proposal should be "on the negotiating table."
Over 30 countries have expressed willingness to contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, with the U.K. and France leading the initiative, according to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office. Canada and Australia have also signaled openness to participating.
NATO allies reaffirmed Ukraine's "irreversible" path toward membership in July 2024 but have not extended a formal invitation despite repeated calls from Kyiv.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 24 that Russian President Vladimir Putin would allow European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a deal, though Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly rejected the idea.
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.
Kateryna Denisova
