"(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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference after the European Council meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 19, 2024. (Photo by John Thys / AFP via Getty Images)
At a press conference in Brussels on Dec. 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent threats of using the new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) against Kyiv to test Western air defense systems in what he called a "high-tech duel" with the West.
Putin proposed the "high-tech duel" during his annual press conference on Dec. 19. He suggested launching an Oreshnik at a site in Kyiv while challenging the West to deploy their air defenses to intercept it, claiming the missile was unbeatable.
"Do you think this is an adequate person? They are just thugs," Zelensky said while commenting on Putin's threats.
Later on, Zelensky published a video clip with Putin's suggestion about a "duel" on X, calling him a "dumbass."
"People are dying, and he thinks it’s 'interesting.' Dumbass," Zelensky wrote.
Russia first launched an Oreshnik at the city of Dnipro on Nov. 21. The strike was accompanied by a Russian propaganda campaign claiming the attack was carried out in response to the U.S. and U.K.'s decision to lift restrictions on Ukraine's long-range strikes inside Russia and aimed at undermining Western support for Kyiv.
Zelensky also commented on the 2022 Istanbul negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and Putin's peace proposal back then, dismissing them as a sham.
“He simply offered Ukraine to surrender, freeze the conflict, shift allegiance to Russia, and give up our independence,” Zelensky said.
“This person calls these some kind of agreements. He is just an old fantasist living in his own aquarium.”
The draft of the Istanbul agreement was published in full by The New York Times in June. According to it, both sides agreed to exclude Ukraine's Crimea from the treaty, leaving it under Russian occupation without Ukraine recognizing Russian sovereignty over it while the status of other Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine was to be decided in later talks between presidents Zelensky and Putin.
Ukraine offered to abandon aspirations to join NATO or any other military alliance, but the treaty allowed Kyiv to enter the EU. Russia also demanded the lifting of all sanctions, repealing Kyiv's laws related to language and national identity, and limiting Ukraine's Armed Forces.
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.
Kateryna Denisova
