"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.
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un smiles during a departure ceremony at the airport after Russian-North Korean talks, June 19, 2024, in Pyongyang, North Korea (Contributor/Getty Images)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a major tank production facility, praising what he called "great progress in the core technology of Korean-style tanks," state news agency KCNA reported on May 4.
Kim emphasized that developing advanced tanks and armored vehicles is central to strengthening the country’s conventional forces and reaching the ruling party's plan "for the second revolution in armored force," he said during the visit, according to Reuters.
The inspection marks the latest in a series of events highlighting North Korea’s focus on upgrading its conventional military alongside its nuclear and missile capabilities.
In recent weeks, Kim has overseen the launch of a new naval destroyer and observed tests of new drone systems.
The renewed push comes amid growing concerns from South Korean and U.S. officials, who believe North Korea may be receiving technical and military assistance from Russia.
In return, Pyongyang is suspected of supplying ammunition and missiles to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. In late April, North Korea confirmed for the first time that it sent troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast.
In a statement reported by KCNA news agency, the ruling Workers’ Party described the deployment as demonstrating the "highest strategic level of the firm militant friendship" between North Korea and Russia.
On May 1, KCNA reported that Russia and North Korea had hailed the construction of a new bridge across their shared border as a "significant occasion" that would strengthen their "friendly relations."
The 4.7-kilometer (3-mile) road bridge, set to span the Tumen River, is expected to be completed within 18 months. A border checkpoint will also be built nearby to facilitate cross-border movement.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
