"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"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.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov (L) and Chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission Zheng Shanjie (R) shake hands during the groundbreaking ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project at Tash-Kitchu settlement in Jalal-Abad region, southern Kyrgyzstan. (Handout/Kyrgyz Presidential Press Office)
Construction has begun on a new railway linking China to Central Asian countries Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov announced at the Dec. 27 groundbreaking ceremony.
The new route, part of China's economic expansion efforts, aims to expand Chinese commercial influence in Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Russian territory.
"This route will ensure the supply of goods from China to Kyrgyzstan and then to Central Asia" and other countries, including Turkey and the European Union, Japarov said in a press briefing, as quoted by the Kyrgyz Presidential Press Office.
The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is "not just a transport corridor" but "an important strategic bridge that will connect the countries of the East and the West," Japarov added.
Japarov also said the project would "strengthen regional ties" and "diversify transport routes," increasing the region's competitiveness as a transit hub.
The railway will run nearly 523 kilometers (325 miles) west from the Chinese city of Kashgar in the northwestern region of Xinjiang through the Kyrgyz border city of Jalal-Abad to Andijan in Uzbekistan.
The $8 billion project has been in talks since the 1990s, but economic and political pressure, particularly from Russia, which the road would bypass, had stalled it until now.
The Kremlin's growing dependence on China in the wake of Western sanctions has apparently eased tensions, as hinted by Putin's participation in China's Belt and Road Forum in Oct. 2023, where this railway was highlighted as one of its projects.
China officially declares itself a neutral party to Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, but Washington has continued to sound the alarm on Beijing's support of Moscow's defense industry.
Simon Johnson
