U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
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."
From the Moskva River, the Kremlin and the high-rise and business district of Moskva City, Russia, (background) can be seen behind the bridge on June 9, 2024. (Ulf Mauder/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Foreign companies that left Russia and financed Ukraine's army, as well as companies branded as "foreign agents," will not be allowed to return to the country's market, Russian state-controlled RBC news agency reported on April 10, citing undisclosed sources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the authorities in February to prepare for the return of Western companies, emphasizing that Russian firms should have "certain advantages" over those re-entering the market.
The news comes amid a thaw in relations between Moscow and Washington as the new Trump administration seeks to broker a peace deal in Ukraine.
As of late March, Moscow had not received official requests from foreign companies seeking to return, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said.
The final version of the document has not yet been agreed upon, according to RBC's sources.
Preliminary criteria say that foreign firms willing to return to Russia will not be allowed to do so if they have a "hostile position," finance Ukraine's Armed Forces, or are classified as "undesirable organizations" or "foreign agents."
The latter two classifications have been widely used by Russia to target and silence groups and individuals who are critical of the government, including independent journalists, activists, and NGOs.
Companies that stopped fulfilling their obligations to their employees and owed wages, taxes, and other mandatory payments before leaving Russia may also be banned from returning.
In addition, foreign firms may be obliged to localize production to a certain level, transfer technologies to Russia, and locate production facilities and engineering and scientific development centers in the country, RBC reported.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hundreds of Western companies have withdrawn from the Russian market, unwilling to contribute to the country's economy or war effort.
According to the Kyiv School of Economics Institute, 472 foreign firms have fully exited, while another 1,360 have scaled down their operations.
Kateryna Denisova
