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."
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.
Australian Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to media on April 12, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)
Labor has secured a federal election victory in Australia, in what was widely seen as a major domestic backlash against Donald Trump-style politics and the country’s rightward drift under the conservative coalition.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese secured a second term, becoming the first Australian leader to do so since John Howard in 2004. His party not only retained government but expanded its majority.
“Today, the Australian people have voted for Australian values, for fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all,” Albanese told cheering supporters in Sydney on May 3, as reported by the Guardian.
The ABC projected Labor to win 86 seats, a clear majority, while the coalition got 39, down 18 from the previous election. Sixteen seats remained undecided.
The Coalition leader Peter Dutton conceded defeat, calling the outcome “obvious.” “We did not do well enough during this campaign,” he told coalition supporters in Brisbane.
Labor’s campaign framed the election as a choice between steady leadership and chaos, drawing comparisons between the Coalition’s policies and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump's unpopular 10-percent tariff on Australian goods and the global financial instability caused by his trade policies raised concerns among voters, France 24 reported on May 3. Other key issues in the campaign included the rising cost of living, wage growth, and Coalition's proposals like restricting remote work for public servants.
Peter Dutton’s “Trump-lite” policies, including plans to cut public service jobs in the name of government efficiency, alienated some voters, Henry Maher, a politics lecturer at the University of Sydney, told France 24.
On foreign policy, his government has prioritized support for Ukraine, committing more than $1.3 billion in aid and backing international efforts to hold Russia accountable for its invasion. In July 2023, Albanese met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Australia has imposed sanctions on over 1,200 individuals and entities linked to Russia’s war and has called on China to use its influence to help end the war.
On April 22, when asked about reports that Russia had requested to build a military base in Indonesia, Albanese dismissed the claims as “propaganda” and criticized the opposition for echoing them.
“I have no wish to help promote Russia’s propaganda messages,” he said. “I’m anti-Russia. I’m not sure that everyone is on that page, but I think that Russia has very different values under an authoritarian leader.”
His comments appeared after Russia’s ambassador to Indonesia, Sergei Tolchenov, amid concerns of Moscow increasing its military presence in the region claimed that Australia lacks the geopolitical weight to counter Russian military manoeuvres in the Indo-Pacific.
Previously, there were unconfirmed reports of a potential Russian military base on Indonesia’s Biak Island, an area located strategically close to northern Australia around 1,360 kilometers away.
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).
Olga Rudenko
