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.
Cars wait in line at the Bender crossing point between the self-proclaimed republic of Transnistria and Moldova on March 1, 2024. Pro-Russian rebel officials in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria on February 28, 2024 appealed to Russia for "protection", amid fears the territory could become a new flashpoint in Moscow's conflict with neighbouring Ukraine. (Daniel Mihalescu/AFP via Getty Images)
Moldova will supply 3 million cubic meters of gas to the Russian-occupied Transnistria region on February 1, under an agreement signed earlier in the week, Reuters reported.
Moldovagaz head Vadim Cheban stated that the gas will be delivered as a loan, which must be repaid by March 1, 2025.
Transnistria’s leader, Vadim Krasnoselsky, described the supply as "technical assistance," emphasizing that it is intended to maintain pipeline pressure rather than provide heating for residents.
He also accused Chisinau of delaying the arrival of EU-funded gas and urged the European Commission president to intervene.
Meanwhile, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean announced an EU financial aid package of 64 million euros ($66.3 million) to address the energy crisis, with 20 million euros ($20.7 million) of the package allocated for gas supplies to Transnistria.
Russia’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom halted gas supplies to Moldova on Jan. 1 as Ukraine ended Russian gas transit through its territory. Gazprom claimed that it halted supplies because of Moldova's alleged unpaid debts rather than transit issues.
The gas suspension has led to widespread power outages in Transnistria, pushing the region toward industrial collapse. The Russian-held region is dependent on Russian supplies while the rest of the country pivoted toward European sellers.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Martin Fornusek
