"(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.
Taoiseach Simon Harris greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Shannon Airport, Co Clare, ahead of their bilateral meeting. Picture date: Saturday July 13, 2024. (Photo by Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images)
Ireland is preparing the first steps towards drafting a security agreement with Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 14, after meeting with Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris the day before.
Ukraine has recently signed security agreements with Poland, Luxembourg, and Romania, based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) in July 2023.
The Presidential Office is now working on agreements with Czechia, Slovenia, and Ireland, Zelensky said on Telegram.
Zelensky briefly stopped at Shannon Airport in Ireland on July 13 on his way back to Ukraine from the NATO Summit in Washington.
Harris said he had a "very good meeting" with Zelensky, and had discussed a potential bilateral agreement on demining, energy, humanitarian assistance, and food security.
Ireland has a policy of neutrality, is not a member of NATO, and has one of the lowest rates of defense spending across the EU, at around 0.2% of its GDP.
Its government has remained committed to not providing lethal military aid to Kyiv, but has recognized Russia's war against Ukraine as genocide.
The country has also taken in around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Olena Goncharova
