"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.
Peter Magyar addresses activists and sympathizers of Hungary's main opposition party, the TISZA (Respect and Freedom), during a rally in Budapest on April 13, 2025. (Attila Kisbenedek / AFP via Getty Images)
Editor's note: This story has been updated to add the "Voice of the Nation" poll results.
Hungary should hold a referendum on Ukraine's accession to the European Union, opposition leader Peter Magyar said on April 13, pledging to restore Hungary's credibility within NATO and the EU, Reuters reported.
Magyar, who plans to challenge Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the 2026 elections, said he would initiate a binding referendum on Ukrainian EU membership if elected — when the exact conditions of Kyiv's entry emerge.
Orban has been broadly seen as the most Moscow-friendly leader in the EU during Russia's all-out war against Ukraine. The Hungarian prime minister has repeatedly blocked or delayed EU aid packages for Kyiv and warned that Ukraine's membership in the bloc would "destroy" Hungary.
Despite the government's resistance, recent polling shows public support for Ukraine's accession. According to the party of Magyar Tisza's "Voice of the Nation" initiative, which received over 1.1 million responses, 58.18% of participants backed Ukraine's EU bid.
A separate April 7 poll by the Republikon Institute also found a narrow majority of Hungarians in favor of Ukraine joining the bloc.
Orban's government nevertheless plans to carry out its own national consultation on the issue. These non-binding opinion surveys, often criticized for biased wording and low turnout, have become a hallmark of Orban's administration.
A 2023 consultation on migration, for instance, asked voters whether they supported Brussels' alleged plan to create "migrant ghettos" in Hungary. Less than 20% participated, but 99% of respondents voted "no."
Magyar has positioned himself in contrast to Orban's policies, promising to reset Hungary's foreign relations and end what he calls the government's isolation from the West.
"Hungary will again be a proud and reliable NATO ally. Hungary will again be a fully-fledged member of the EU," he told supporters.
Magyar visited Kyiv on July 11, 2024. His party raised about 15 million forints (around $41,000) for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Kyiv applied for EU membership in 2022 and was granted candidate status within months. Accession talks began in June 2024, with EU leaders aiming for potential entry by 2030.
Hungary's veto power as an EU member allows it to unilaterally delay or block further steps in the process.
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.
Martin Fornusek
