"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.
Quantum Systems, a German drone manufacturer operating two plants in Ukraine, plans to double its drone production in the country, Ukraine's Strategic Industries Ministry announced on Feb. 14.
The company produces advanced Vector reconnaissance drones. It opened its first facility in Ukraine in April 2024.
Unmanned systems have become a key capability for both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. to meet its battlefield needs, Kyiv has ramped up domestic production and imports of drones since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The ministry met with Quantum Systems representatives at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14 to discuss ways to speed up drone production.
"We all want the same result — more quality weapons for the Ukrainian military," said Herman Smetanin, Ukraine's strategic industries minister.
The ministry wrote that Quantum Systems operates an R&D center and a drone maintenance and development facility in Ukraine, calling it “a good example of localized manufacturing."
Quantum Systems first began providing Ukraine with drones after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The firm also established a service, support, training, and logistics center in Ukraine in the following year.
The company promised to supply Kyiv with 500 reconnaissance drones by the end of 2024.
In September 2024, Ukraine created the Unmanned Systems' Forces — a separate branch of the military focused on drones, forming special drone-specific units, and improving the production, training, and innovation of unmanned vehicles.
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