"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.
Debris surrounds a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine after a Russian missile strike on April 24, 2025. (Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram)
The ballistic missile that struck a residential building in Kyiv on April 24 and killed at least 12 people was made in North Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Facebook, citing preliminary data.
Twelve people were killed and 90 civilians, including six children, were injured in a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on April 24, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said.
"If the information that this missile was made in North Korea is confirmed, it will be further proof of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang," Zelensky said.
Zelensky accused both countries of using their cooperation to advance deadly technologies and wage war on civilians.
“They kill people and destroy lives together, this is the only purpose of their partnership,” he said.
According to Zelensky, more than 200 missiles and drones were launched by Russia in the latest large-scale assault across multiple Ukrainian cities on April 24.
A Ukrainian military source told Reuters on April 24 that the missile which struck the residential building in Kyiv was identified as a North Korean-made KN-23 ballistic missile.
The KN-23, capable of carrying a one-tonne warhead, is reportedly more powerful than its Russian equivalent. In November 2024, CNN reported that these missiles have Western-made components.
The attack comes as Russia and North Korea expand their military ties. Kyiv estimates that more than 11,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to support Russia’s war effort, primarily in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
The South Korean Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) reported earlier in April that North Korea had earned over $20 billion from its military support to Moscow, including weapons and manpower. Between August 2023 and March 2025, North Korea reportedly shipped more than 15,800 containers of munitions to Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described North Korea as a “partner” and confirmed that a 2024 defense treaty between the two nations is in force. He has also suggested the idea of including Pyongyang in future negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Tim Zadorozhnyy
