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 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."
A photo taken on Feb. 1, 2021, shows a French Mirage 2000-5 in the Djiboutian air space. (Daphné Benoit/AFP via Getty Images)
France will deliver its first three Mirage 2000-5s fighter jets to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2025, the French newspaper La Tribune reported on Oct. 23, citing its sources.
Paris previously confirmed it would begin transferring its aircraft in the first three months of the next year but did not comment on the numbers.
The timing of delivery takes into account the time needed to train pilots and mechanics and prepare the aircraft, La Tribune wrote.
According to the outlet, the planes will be equipped with ground strike capabilities, namely SCALP/Storm Shadow long-range missiles and French guided bombs AASM Hammer.
France and the U.K. have previously supplied Kyiv with SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles that have a range of up to 250 kilometers (150 miles) and have been successfully deployed against Russian military targets in Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. The French Defense Ministry refused to comment for La Tribune.
The Mirage 2000 is a multirole aircraft designed in the late 1970s and introduced in 1984. The 2000-5 version has upgraded radar systems and can carry fuel drop tanks, greatly increasing its range.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans for their delivery to Ukraine in June, saying that France would also provide training to Ukrainian pilots and staff. He did not reveal how many aircraft France plans to send in total.
The Mirage 2000-5 is a fourth-generation fighter jet, meaning it is in the same class as the U.S.-made F-16 that Ukraine's Air Force already operates.
Denmark and the Netherlands were the first countries to deliver their F-16s, making them the first Western fighter jets in Ukraine's arsenal.
While Kyiv awaits Mirages and additional F-16s, it is also in talks to acquire Swedish-made Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon fighters.
Martin Fornusek
