"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.
Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Kyrylo Peretyatko (Screenshot from video)
Ukrainian forces operating NASAMS air defense systems downed 11 Russian cruise missiles in less than two minutes during a mass aerial attack, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Kyrylo Peretyatko said in a video published on April 27.
"We probably broke all records of other countries for reload speed, and we are ready to keep doing it constantly to defend our country, as long as we have the missiles," he said.
"In one air defense battle, we shot down 11 cruise missiles. The operation lasted no more than two minutes," Peretyatko said.
He did not specify which Russian mass missile attack he was referring to.
The U.S./Norwegian-made National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) systems have been in service with Ukrainian forces since November 2022, when the U.S. delivered the first batteries amid escalating Russian airstrikes.
The NASAMS system, which has a maximum range of 50 kilometers depending on the model used, is particularly valuable for Ukraine as it uses the AIM-120 AMRAAM interceptor missile, which is the same missile used in air-to-air function in Western fighter jets.
Kyiv has consistently urged Western allies to expand air defense assistance, with President Volodymyr Zelensky even offering to buy Patriot air defense systems from the U.S., warning that existing systems are insufficient. U.S. President Donald Trump later rejected the offer.
While Ukraine presses for an unconditional ceasefire, in line with proposals from the U.S., Russia continues to reject the terms. It has reportedly intensified its aerial campaign and offensive operations across the front line.
Over the past week, the Ukrainian air force downed 442 Russian Shahed kamikaze drones and over 230 other attack drones, as well as 31 Kh-101/Kh-55SM cruise missiles, seven Iskander ballistic missiles, six Kalibr cruise missiles, and four Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air-launched missiles, the Air Force reported on April 27.
Apart from the front-line areas, Russian attacks targeted cities all over Ukraine, with a mass drone and missile attack on Kyiv overnight on April 24 killing 12 people and injuring 90, including children.
Chris York
