"(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.
Lithuanian border guard officers patrol by the metal fence at the Lithuanian Belarusian border in Dieveniskes, Lithuania on July 10, 2023. (Omar Marques/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Lithuania has voiced support for an EU initiative to provide Ukraine with up to 40 billion euro ($43.5 billion) in military aid this year, arguing that similar funding will be necessary in the future to prevent another Russian attack.
"If we can sustain this amount ... for a longer period of time, that would be the amount that would allow Ukrainians to keep their armed forces at current strength," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told Reuters on March 16.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Lithuania has been one of Ukraine’s most vocal backers.
The Baltic state ranks among Europe's top defense spenders, allocating 2.85% of GDP to defense in 2024, according to NATO estimates. Vilnius plans to increase that figure to between 5% and 6% from 2026 to 2030.
EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the proposal in Brussels, with the plan introduced by the bloc’s diplomatic service, led by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. The talks come amid uncertainty over U.S. negotiations with Russia, the future of American military support for Ukraine, and Washington’s broader security commitments to Europe.
A document obtained by Reuters on March 14 revealed that EU diplomats have suggested doubling military aid for Ukraine to as much as $43.5 billion. Some member states have reacted cautiously, but Budrys stressed that long-term military support for Kyiv should not be tied to any potential peace talks.
"Ukraine's armed forces will be the main deterrence forces for Russians not to return," he said.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Martin Fornusek
