"(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 Hungarian national flag is raised by honor guard soldiers in front of the Parliament building, on Kossuth Square in Budapest, on April 26, 2025. (Attila Kisbenedek / AFP via Getty Images)
Hungary's Parliament voted on April 29 to approve the country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on X.
The decision formalizes Hungary's intention, first announced in early April during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Budapest.
The move follows the ICC's issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza — a move Budapest has sharply criticized.
"With this decision, we refuse to be part of a politicized institution that has lost its impartiality and credibility," Szijjarto wrote.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar welcomed Hungary's move, according to the Times of Israel. Following the vote, withdrawing from the ICC jurisdiction will take a year, once Budapest officially notifies the U.N. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, of its decision
The ICC, established in 2002 under the Rome Statute, is a permanent tribunal based in The Hague that prosecutes individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the forcible deportation of children from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Despite the warrant, Mongolia hosted Putin for an official visit in September 2024, citing energy dependence as its reason for not executing the arrest and saying it had limited options.
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.
Dmytro Basmat
