"Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights," North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said. "I regard this as part of the sacred mission we must execute for our brothers and comrades-in-arms."
"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.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks at a press conference during the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on March 6, 2023 in Vienna, Austria. (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will increase its monitoring missions to Ukrainian facilities critical to nuclear safety, Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Energoatom reported on Sept. 13.
The country's nuclear facilities are also one of Russia's key targets amid the war.
IAEA experts visited one of Ukraine's power substations on Sept. 12 that was damaged in recent Russian attacks. For security reasons, Energoatom did not disclose the substation's location.
According to the agency, the IAEA's visit was the beginning of the implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting of President Volodymyr Zelensky and Rafael Grossi, the IAEA's general director.
Following the meeting, the participants did not provide details on the new agreements.
The agency's monitoring missions will be present at electrical substations critical to the safety of nuclear facilities, according to Energoatom.
Energoatom said that Russia "has changed its tactics" and is attacking facilities that are extremely important for the smooth operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
"The invaders pose a threat to nuclear and radiation safety, and this is real terrorism against humanity. The entire civilized world must strongly condemn these actions and demand an end to the attacks on the substations," the Energoatom's statement read.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022.
Russia's occupation of the plant has led to heightened nuclear safety risks, andUkraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of using the plant as a launching site for drone attacks, presenting a serious security hazard.
Monitoring teams from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been based at the facility on rotation since September 2022, but Russian authorities still deny IAEA inspectors full access to the plant.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Kateryna Hodunova
