Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"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.
Oil storage tanks stand at the RN-Tuapsinsky refinery, operated by Rosneft Oil Co., as a tanker sails beyond in Tuapse, Russia, on March 23, 2020. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
India's imports of Russian crude are likely to hit 2.15 million barrels per day in April, the highest volumes since May 2023, Bloomberg reported on April 22, citing Kpler data.
Russian oil shipments appear to be picking up pace again after months of disruptions caused by U.S. sanctions on Russia's fossil fuel exports.
India, the world's third-largest oil importer, has become the leading buyer of Russian oil products, which it purchases at a discount amid sanctions that largely cut Moscow off from the Western market.
Russia has remained the South Asian country's leading supplier for the third year in a row, Reuters reported on April 22.
The Indian market was rattled earlier this year after the sweeping U.S. sanctions in January that targeted Russia's "shadow fleet," major oil companies, and associated entities, significantly complicating Moscow's crude exports.
Despite a temporary drop, Indian imports of Russian crude began climbing again in March.
New Delhi has maintained a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, calling for a peaceful solution while fostering economic relationships with Moscow.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Oleg Sukhov
