"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 Starlink logo displayed on a laptop screen and the Eutelsat logo displayed on a phone screen are seen in this illustration photo on March 21, 2025. (Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Germany is financing Ukraine's access to a satellite internet network operated by French company Eutelsat, Reuters reported on April 4, citing Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke.
The service serves as an alternative to tech billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink, which has played a key role in Ukraine's battlefield communications.
Eutelsat has been providing high-speed satellite internet services in Ukraine through a German distributor for about a year, with funding from the German government.
Ukraine currently has fewer than 1,000 terminals connecting to Eutelsat's network, but Berneke said the company aims to increase this to between 5,000 and 10,000 "relatively fast."
A Eutelsat spokesperson, Joanna Darlington, said discussions are ongoing regarding further funding from Germany and the EU.
Starlink, which provides service to over 50,000 Ukrainian military, medical, and civilian users, has faced uncertainty over continued access.
Concerns have grown after Reuters reported in February that the U.S. threatened to cut the service unless Kyiv agreed to a critical minerals deal.
Tech billionaire and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk denied these claims, and on March 9, claimed that cutting Ukraine off from Starlink would cause the country's entire front line to collapse.
The dispute escalated after a tense meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 28, which led to a temporary halt in U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing as Washington sought to push Kyiv toward peace talks with Moscow.
Eutelsat's OneWeb network operates using a dual-constellation approach, combining low Earth orbit and geostationary satellites.
The system could provide essential connectivity for Ukraine's military, including for drone operations. Bloomberg reported on March 6 that Eutelsat is in advanced talks with the EU to potentially replace Starlink in Ukraine.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Yuliia Taradiuk
