"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.
Moldovan President and candidate for Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) party Maia Sandu casts her ballots for the presidential election and referendum on joining the European Union, at a polling station on Oct. 20, 2024, in Chisinau. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images)
Moldova's parliament voted on April 17 to hold elections on Sept. 28 – a vote that could potentially threaten the majority currently held by pro-Western President Maia Sandu's party.
The motion to hold elections in September was approved by 57 lawmakers, with 32 abstaining. The elections are expected to be highly competitive, as Sandu's pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) faces a growing challenge from the pro-Russian opposition.
Last year, Russia spent nearly 200 million euros ($220 million) to buy votes in the Moldovan presidential race and the EU referendum, hoping to oust Sandu from office and end the country's EU aspirations. While Sandu scraped by with a narrow victory, her opponent — former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo — is now leading a coalition of three parties to contest PAS's majority in parliament.
According to parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, the September elections will be "crucial" in deciding Moldova's future.
"Either we throw away everything w'’ve achieved on our path to modernization and EU integration, or we move forward toward peace and development," Grosu said.
"Our goal is to ensure that Moldova stays on the road to peace, avoids falling under Kremlin influence, and preserves its sovereignty and freedom," he added.
Throughout her tenure, Sandu has steered Moldova toward a pro-European trajectory, overseeing the country's European Union accession process. Moldova formally launched accession negotiations with the EU in June 2024, two years after applying for membership alongside Ukraine.
Simultaneously, the country has grappled with overt Russian interference, as Moscow seeks to pull it back into its orbit.
In September, Moldova will once again decide whether it will continue on its European path, or whether it will move closer to Russia.
Maria Yeryoma
