"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
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.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte holds the closing press conference at the NATO headquarters on the second day of the NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers' meeting on Dec. 4, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium.(Omar Havana/Getty Images)
NATO can play a key role in assisting the proposed European military mission to guarantee a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, the Financial Times (FT) reported on April 3, citing unnamed officials.
The proposal for an international peacekeeping force has gained traction recently as European nations prepare to take a more prominent role in Ukraine's defense amid the unpredictability of further American support.
NATO's command and control structures could be used to deploy a so-called "reassurance force" to Ukraine under one proposal being discussed in French-led talks with the U.K., five officials briefed on the plans and told the FT.
Under the proposal, the forces would also use the alliance's joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. According to officials, this proposal is one of many options under discussion and may be subject to change before a final agreement.
Proponents of the initiative also see NATO's involvement in indirectly engaging the U.S. and gaining Washington's support.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump refused to participate in any European-led mission directly, but U.S. military capabilities in Europe are integral to all NATO operations.
"If we are going to deploy assets from dozens of countries (to Ukraine), then NATO is really the only (command and control) option that we can use," said one of the officials.
On March 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed plans to meet in Ukraine this week with military representatives from the "coalition of the willing." Thus far, the coalition has met in other European countries or virtually.
The coalition is a group of countries that have pledged peacekeeping troops and other security guarantees for Ukraine in a potential ceasefire.
The "coalition of the willing" has met repeatedly to determine security guarantees and a peacekeeping force for Ukraine. Leaders of 31 nations met in Paris on March 27 at a summit for the coalition.
Several countries, including France and the U.K., which lead the coalition, have pledged to send troops to enforce a potential ceasefire.
The U.S. has been holding separate meetings for ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia, most recently meeting Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on March 25.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Asami Terajima
