U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
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."
Cars drive in the Kyiv city centre as smoke is seen, on Sept. 20, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As a result of dry weather, forest fires continue in the ecosystem of the Kyiv region. (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was updated with statements from the forestry authorities and the State Emergency Service.
Kyiv authorities warned about sharp and "temporary deterioration" of air quality in Kyiv on Sept. 20 due to the accumulation of harmful substances.
The likely cause is fires in Kyiv Oblast that released large amounts of dust particles in the air, the environmental department of the Kyiv city military administration said.
Authorities warned on Sept. 16 that the air quality in the capital may worsen due to fires in the Vyshhorod district of Kyiv Oblast. Large-scale fires were also recorded elsewhere in Ukraine recently amid dry weather and – in some areas – constant Russian attacks.
The IQAir air quality index places Kyiv as the second most polluted city in the world as of 12:30 p.m., with only Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo ranked higher. Earlier in the morning, Kyiv was ranked as the city with the most polluted air in the world.
Kyiv has a rating of 156 on the 0-500 scale, which is classified as "unhealthy" and calls for reduced outdoor exertion by residents of the affected area. The pollution level is currently nine times the WHO annual air quality guideline value.
This is an improvement compared to 11 a.m. when Kyiv's air pollution index was 181 and 19.7 times the WHO guideline value.
The Kyiv city authorities called upon the residents to close windows, avoid staying outdoors, drink lots of water, and turn on air purifiers. The pollutants recorded in the air included nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone.
Forestry authorities said at 9:20 a.m. that "all forest fires in Kyiv Oblast had been extinguished" and that the smog in the capital appeared due to other reasons.
Yurii Bolokhovets, the head of Ukraine's forestry authorities, later clarified that the likely cause was a burning peat bog in the Desna community in Chernihiv Oblast near the administrative border with Kyiv Oblast.
Only one forest fire appeared on the territory of Kyiv Oblast, which was promptly localized and extinguished, Bolokhovets said.
The State Emergency Service told Suspilne that a peat bog fire covering an area smaller than 1 hectare also erupted in Kyiv Oblast near the village of Fenevychi.
Kyiv has been ranked among the 30 cities with the cleanest air both in 2022 and 2023.
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.
Nate Ostiller
