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."
Georgian oligarch and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili gives a speech as Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stands behind during a gathering at the Georgian Dream party's headquarters after exit polls were announced during parliamentary elections in Tbilisi on October 26, 2024. (Giorgi Arjevanidze /AFP via Getty Images)
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect comments made by party officials and world leaders following the preliminary results.
Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party captured 54.3% of the vote in the Oct. 26 parliamentary election, with over 99% of precincts counted, according to the country's central electoral commission.
The commission reported that the final voter turnout reached 58.94%. Some 3.5 million Georgians were eligible to cast ballots in the polls.
“It is a rare case in the world that the same party achieves such success in such a difficult situation – this is a good indicator of the talent of the Georgian people,” oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said following the results.
Ivanishvili is Georgia's richest man, with an estimated net worth of almost $5 billion. He made the bulk of his fortune in Russia in the 1990s, and has sought to lead Georgia towards closer relations with Russia.
As part of a campaign promise ahead of the elections, on Sept. 14 Ivanishvili declared that Georgia should "apologize" for Russia's 2008 war against the country.
Despite the official results, Georgian opposition parties refused to recognize the results — instead claiming victory in the election pointing to election monitors reporting various violations across the country, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation.
"We are outraged by what the central (election) commission dared to write. The results do not reflect the will of the Georgian people," Anna Dolidze, leader of the opposition "For the People" party said. "We (will) fight for every vote, use all legal means to protect the democratic and European choice of the Georgian people."
Exit polls commissioned by pro-opposition outlets Formula and Mtavari Arkhi showed that opposition parties would hold enough seats to form the majority, while government-leaning Imedi TV channel said the Georgian Dream party would win a majority with 56% of the vote, according to the Guardian.
“The exit polls are showing an impressive 10% margin of victory for the opposition. We believe the Georgian public has voted clearly for a future at the heart of Europe and no amount of posturing will change that,” said Tina Bokuchava, leader of the largest opposition party, the United National Movement.
The European Union has cautioned that this election will shape Georgia’s prospects for joining the 27-nation bloc. Polls indicate that most Georgians support EU membership, but accession talks stalled after Georgian Dream passed a law in June that restricts freedom of speech.
Less than an hour before polls closed, President Salome Zourabichvili, known for her pro-Western stance, urged opposition voters not to be intimidated. "Don't get scared. All this is just psychological pressure on you," she said in a live address on social media.
Ahead of the announcement of the official results by Georgia's central electoral commission, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has also been accused of holding pro-Russian views, congratulated Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on his re-election.
Congratulations to Prime Minister @PM_Kobakhidze and the Georgian Dream party on their overwhelming victory at the parliamentary elections today. The people of #Georgia know what is best for their country, and made their voice heard today!
Tamar Kintsurashvili
