"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.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., in Washington, D.C., U.S. on March 24, 2025. (Samuel Corum / Sipa / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi has extended a public invitation to tech billionaire and senior adviser to the U.S. President Elon Musk to visit the country and see firsthand the impact of U.S. development aid, following the Trump administration’s suspension of all U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs worldwide.
The invitation comes after Musk — appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to lead a federal cost-cutting initiative — called USAID “a criminal organization.”
Speaking to Jurnal TV, Popsoi said a visit could persuade Musk that American taxpayer dollars have been well spent in Moldova. He highlighted successful projects such as Artcor, Mediacor, and the revitalization of the Moldovan wine industry.
"That may be the case if he comes. Mr. Musk can convince himself by going to Artcor, to Mediacor, to visit the wine industry, which was helped by USAID to increase the country's brand,” Popsoi said.
“Even U.S. consumers enjoy the quality of our wine, which now will probably become a bit more expensive in the context of tariffs.”
USAID’s largest investment in Moldova is the $300 million Energy Security program. It has funded the construction of a high-voltage power line linking Moldova and Romania, the modernization of Moldova’s electricity operator Moldelectrica, and the development of Energocom and the Ministry of Energy.
In Ukraine, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, USAID has provided $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and more than $30 billion in direct budget support to Kyiv.
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).
Katerina Sergatskova
