"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.
Director of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital Volodymyr Zhovnir is attending the requiem for the victims of the Russian missile attack on the medical institution in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 12, 2024. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Volodymyr Zhovnir, CEO of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, was suspended until all inspections related to the hospital's reconstruction are completed, Health Minister Viktor Liashko said on Aug. 17.
Okhmatdyt, Ukraine's largest children's medical center, was hit during a Russian missile attack on July 8 that killed two people and injured over 30. One of the hospital's buildings was completely destroyed, while another, the biggest and most advanced one which, reportedly, accounts for up to 95% of the hospital’s functions, was damaged.
Following the strike, more than Hr 1 billion ($24 million) was raised through several fundraisers for the hospital's reconstruction within days. Individuals and businesses alike donated to help the hospital resume its vital operations as fast as possible.
In early August, Liashko requested that law enforcement conduct additional inspections of the tender for the rebuilding of Okhmatdyt, which was won by the Ukrainian company Bud-Technology offering its services at inflated prices.
Among the 14 companies that submitted their bids for the tender, Bud-Technology was reportedly the third-highest bidder and proposed to rebuild the heavily damaged building for a total of Hr 307 million ($7.4 million).
After the public uproar, Liashko announced that the tender would be held again.
According to the health minister, Zhovnir announced the bidder as the winner of the tender without taking into account the recommendations of the working group that had been created to oversee the reconstruction.
Zhovnir will be temporarily replaced by Oleksandr Urin, head of the department of intensive and efferent therapy of acute intoxications at Okhmatdyt.
Liashko said that the first results of the inspection by the Health Ministry's commission showed "distortion of key information" which is officially reported to him. The police are conducting a pre-trial investigation into possible wrongdoing, the health minister added.
"All circumstances must be established. All those responsible must be punished. The hospital must be rebuilt. Everything must be done clearly, transparently, quickly and in accordance with the law," Liashko said.
According to the health minister, further reconstruction of Okhmatdyt will be overseen by the newly-created Restoration Council, which includes representatives of the companies that made some of the biggest donations to the fundraisers.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Natalia Yermak
