The visit marks Merz’s first trip to Ukraine, and the first time all four leaders have travelled there together.
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.
"As in the past, it is now for Russia to show its willingness to achieve peace," the EU's statement reads.
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."
The number includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"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.
Ukraine launches program allowing foreigners to remotely start businesses in Ukraine

Ukraine has launched uResidency, a program enabling foreigners to start a business in the country remotely, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Sept. 27 at the Lviv IT Arena, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist reporting from the event.
The program offers foreign entrepreneurs favorable conditions for conducting business, including a 5% tax on gross revenues up to 180,000 euros ($201,000), the ability to register remotely as individual entrepreneurs, and the ability to conduct business through a mobile application and website.
Kyiv has long sought to open business opportunities as it seeks to regain economic investments and rebuild entrepreneurial opportunities lost throughout the duration of the war.
"Thanks to technology, we can create products that can attract funds to Ukraine and grow the brand of an innovative country. One of these products is the uResidency," Fedorov said.
"This is a revolutionary project that will not only offer foreigners a great service for doing business in Ukraine but also support the Ukrainian economy. There are only a few similar projects in the world."
Despite what the name implies, no additional pathways for permanent residency in Ukraine are provided.
Foreigners do not need to travel to Ukraine to obtain "e-residency status." To do this, they just need to undergo a one-time offline verification at the Ukrainian consular office in their country of residence. Subsequently, this procedure will also take place online.
The uResidency was implemented with the support of the European Union through projects implemented by the eGovernance Academy of Estonia.
The uResidency members are also not required to handle financial accounting on their own, as the bank will do it for them as a tax agent.
The program is currently available to citizens of India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Slovenia. The first phase is expected to involve about 1,000 e-residents. According to Fedorov, the list of countries will be expanded in the future.
The Digital Transformation Ministry continues to work towards the concept of "the state in a smartphone," which was established in 2020 with the launch of the Diia app - a state mobile application for government services.
Ukrainians can access digitized versions of various official documents, including their passport, driver's license, vehicle registration, or tax ID. It is also possible to do things like register a business or the birth of one's child on the app.
Last year, President Zelensky announced that Ukraine was helping other countries in Europe, Latin America, and Africa to develop the equivalent of Diia.

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