"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
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 Justice Ministry logo. (Justice Ministry / Facebook)
Ukraine's Justice Ministry has hired the American-British law firm Hogan Lovells for assistance in negotiating a critical minerals deal with the United States, according to a filing under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The news comes as Ukraine and the U.S. began technical consultations on the minerals agreement on April 11.
The Justice Ministry has retained Hogan Lovells U.S. as of April 9, according to a registration listed on the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) web portal. A source confirmed to Reuters on April 11 that the Ukrainian government has retained the firm.
Hogan Lovells is an American-British firm with headquarters in Washington, D.C. and London.
Additional details are not provided in the registration listing. The registration does indicate that the Victor Pinchuk Foundation hired the firm in 2023.
The latest version of the minerals deal, an initiative U.S. President Donald Trump championed as a way for Washington to "recoup" military aid to Kyiv, reportedly grants the United States extensive control over Ukraine's natural resources through a joint investment fund.
A source who spoke to Reuters regarding the April 11 talks described them as "antagonistic" and unlikely to produce a breakthrough.
"The negotiating environment is very antagonistic," the source said, describing the latest version of the proposal as "maximalist" in its ambitions over Ukraine's mineral wealth.
Whilte the agreement would grant the U.S. unprecedented control over Ukraine's natural resources, it still lacks any concrete security guarantees.
In an interview with the Times published April 11, U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said that resumed negotiations on the minerals deal proved that relations between Washington and Kyiv were "back on track."
The official also acknowledged that the U.S. underestimated the complexities of such a deal.
"It's not a simple yes or no," he said.
"People didn’t really understand the process as well as they should have."
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Adam Sybera
