"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 International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivers its final judgment in the case against Russia in The Hague, the Netherlands on Jan. 31, 2024. (Selman Aksunger/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Jan. 31 that found Russia guilty of financing terrorism through its support of proxies in Ukraine's Donbas region is the "first time in its history that the (ICJ) has reached a final judgment on Russia’s violations of international law," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Feb. 1.
The ICJ decision on Jan. 31 stemmed from a case brought by Ukraine in 2017, which has taken seven years to conclude. The case originated from Ukraine's argument that Russia had financed terrorism during the conflict in Donbas.
It did not include alleged violations of international law that occurred after the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The court also ruled in Ukraine's favor that Russia implemented a discriminatory education system in Crimea "with regard to school education in the Ukrainian language" and has not complied "with its duty to protect the rights of ethnic Ukrainians."
At the same time, the court declined to hold Russia responsible for the downing of MH17, which killed 298 people, the majority of whom were Dutch citizens.
It also refrained from ordering Russia to pay reparations.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry nonetheless declared that the "judgment of the (ICJ) leaves no doubt that the Russian Federation is in violation of international law."
"Ukraine remains committed to pursuing justice and accountability for all of Russia’s illegal acts, including the full-scale invasion Russia launched in 2022," the ministry concluded.
Nate Ostiller
