"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.
Russian soldiers in an armoured vehicle parade during a Victory Day military parade rehearsal on the Red square in Moscow. (Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia's unilateral ceasefire during Victory Day celebrations remains in place, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 7, according to state-owned TASS.
Peskov confirmed that "all instructions have been given," and there are "no new instructions." The so-called "humanitarian" truce will run from midnight on May 8 to midnight on May 11.
The Kremlin announced the measure on April 28, claiming all military actions would halt during that period and urging Ukraine to "follow this example."
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the proposal as a "theatrical performance" designed to reduce Russia's international isolation and secure favorable conditions for Moscow's Victory Day events on May 9.
And experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent said Moscow's unilateral declaration is simply not how ceasefires are conducted.
"Ceasefires have to be negotiated so both sides agree on terms otherwise neither is bound by them," retired Australian Army Major-General Mick Ryan told the Kyiv Independent, adding the Kremlin's truce lacked "clear terms" as well as any "monitoring arrangements."
For a third consecutive day ahead of the parade, the Kremlin reported downing Ukrainian drones near Moscow, disrupting regional air traffic and forcing mass flight delays and diversions.
Mobile Internet restrictions were also enforced in Moscow and several Russian regions from May 7–10 as foreign officials visit the country.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Russia from May 7–10 to discuss Ukraine, Russia-U.S. relations, and energy cooperation with Putin and attend the parade.
Other expected guests include Brazilian PresidentLuiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Slovak Prime MinisterRobert Fico, though Fico's attendance remains uncertain due to illness.
At least 29 world leaders and military personnel from 13 countries are expected at the parade.
The Kremlin uses the annual Victory Day parade to showcase its military power and invoke Soviet World War II victories to justify its aggression against Ukraine.
Kyiv has previously demonstrated it can strike Moscow with drones, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to announce the truce last month.
Ukraine accepted a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire more than 50 days ago, but Moscow rejected the offer, demanding a halt to Western military aid to Ukraine.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
