"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.
People bring flowers and toys en masse to a playground in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on April 6, 2025, where nine children die in a Russian ballistic missile strike. (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
New Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine could be the strongest sign of U.S. support, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 8, just days after Russia's deadly missile attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih.
A Russian missile strike on Zelensky's hometown in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on April 4 killed 20 people, including nine children, and injured over 70.
Asked how this attack affected the Ukraine-U.S. ceasefire talks, Zelensky said that Western partners had been asked once again to bolster Ukraine's air defense, including with additional Patriot systems.
"I thank our partners for supporting Ukraine and condemning it (Russia's attack on Kryvyi Rih). But condemnation is not enough," Zelensky said during a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever in Kyiv.
"The Russians should be put in their place. They must end this war. The United States can transfer Patriot systems, they have a lot of them available. This is the best support for Ukraine today from the United States — to hand over Patriot systems."
Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia.
Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.
Ukraine has already agreedto a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to theterms. So far, Moscow has refused.
Following Russian recent strikes, U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 7 he was "not happy" with Moscow's intensified attacks on Ukraine.
Francis Farrell
