"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.
Members of Germany's Bundeswehr look at MIM-104 Patriot missile launching systems at the Luftwaffe Warbelow training center on Dec. 18, 2012, in Warbelow, Germany (Sean Gallup)
Germany's Bundeswehr is investigating potental espionage after unidentified drones were spotted six times in January flying over a sensitive German military base where Ukrainians have been training, Der Spiegel reported on Feb. 9.
Germany failed to force the drones to land or to locate their pilots despite the use of special jamming devices, the Der Spiegel report said.
The Schwesing base is located in the North Sea and has been used to train both Germans and Ukrainians on the Patriot air defense system. These advanced weapons systems have played a crucial role in defending Ukraine's skies from missile and drone attacks, which have drastically increased over the past several months.
The Bundeswehr believes Russia is the top suspect behind the drone flights, said Der Spiegel, referencing an internal report on the matter.
Incidents of drones believed to be spying on German bases where Ukrainians train have been reported for over a year.
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The Kyiv Independent news desk
