"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.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb on March 27, 2025 in Paris, France. (Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)
Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine and other policy matters during a visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on March 29.
Stubb's visit was "unofficial," according to a press release from the Finnish government. It involved breakfast, lunch, and a round of golf.
"During the visit, the Presidents discussed among other things the relations between Finland and the United States, and current foreign and security policy issues, including Ukraine," the press release said.
The statement did not include any details on the substance of the leaders' policy discussions. In a recent interview with France 24, Stubb praised Trump's efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine but expressed skepticism towards Russia.
"But never underestimate the capacity of Russians to break a ceasefire. They'll continue to do it," he said.
Following his meeting with Stubb, Trump announced that the U.S. would purchase Finnish icebreaker vessels.
"President Stubb and I look forward to strengthening the partnership between the United States and Finland," Trump wrote in a post on the social media platform Truth Social.
"That includes the purchase and development of a large number of badly needed icebreakers for the U.S."
The icebreakers are critical to Trump's plans to expand U.S. power over the Arctic. The purchase announcement comes a day after U.S. Vice President JD Vance made a controversial visit to Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory Trump has threatened to annex.
Trump reiterated those ambitions on March 29 in an interview with NBC News.
"We'll get Greenland. Yeah, 100%," he said.
Trump said there was a "good possibility that we could do it without military force," but refused to rule out a military takeover.
"I don't take anything off the table," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 27 said that Trump was serious about his plans to acquire Greenland for the U.S. and alleged that the plan had "historical roots." Previously, the Kremlin said it was monitoring developments regarding Trump and Greenland due to Russia's own "strategic interests" in the Arctic region.
Russia also has a strategic interest in defending illegal annexations of sovereign foreign territory, given its ongoing occupation of Ukrainian regions, including Crimea.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Kateryna Denisova
