"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.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna speaking to the Kyiv Independent an the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tallinn, Estonia, on Dec. 19, 2024. (Olena Zashko/The Kyiv Independent)
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Hungary is on "Putin's team" in an interview with German outlet Rheinische Post, published on April 5.
"To be divided, you would need two major parties. We have Hungary, a very weak country, that's on Putin's team. Not on our European team," Tsahkna said.
Hungary maintains positive relations with Russia in contrast with other EU members. On March 26, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto visited Moscow to discuss continued economic cooperation between the two countries.
Tsahkna called for the "coalition of the willing" to be established so that Hungary could not abuse its voting power in institutions that require unanimous consent.
The U.K. and France have led the coalition and have pledged to deploy a peacekeeping force in Ukraine to enforce a potential ceasefire. Talks among the willing nations are still ongoing.
Stripping Hungary of its voting power in the EU "is getting closer and closer," Tsahkna said.
"Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union provides for the possibility of withdrawing a member state's voting rights if membership endangers the security of Europe and that of the other members.... (T)hat's exactly what (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban is doing," Tsahkna said.
Hungary has repeatedly opposed EU sanctions on Russia and has opposed EU aid for Ukraine.
Germany's incoming government, led by Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU alliance, wants the EU to adopt harsher measures to punish countries that violate the bloc's core principles.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Asami Terajima
