"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.
Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov in Kyiv on Sept. 5, 2023. (Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
North Korea is participating in Russia's war against Ukraine to gain combat experience and modernize its military technology, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview South Korean news outlet The Chosun published on Feb. 17.
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast last fall to support Russian forces in countering a Ukrainian incursion launched in early August 2024.
"Despite heavy casualties, North Korean forces remain actively engaged in joint operations with Russian troops," Budanov said.
"This war has mobilized the full military capabilities of the nations involved. Only three countries — Ukraine, Russia, and North Korea — are gaining direct experience in full-scale 21st-century warfare. The North Korean military of the future will be fundamentally different from its past," Budanov added.
The number of North Korean artillery on the battlefield has increased, and North Korean missiles have become more precise, according to Budanov.
"Initially, their accuracy was severely flawed, with an error margin of 500 to 1,500 meters," he said. "But Russian missile experts made technical modifications, resolving the issue. The missile is now significantly more precise and a far greater threat."
"North Korea is using this war to gain combat experience and modernize its military technology," Budanov said. "This will have lasting consequences for the security landscape in the Asia-Pacific region."
North Korea and Russia have significantly strengthened their relations over the past three years, particularly in the context of geopolitical alignment against Western nations, posing significant challenges to international stability.
In the fall of 2024, Russia and North Korea ratified a strategic partnership agreement which includes the development of trade, scientific, technical, and defense cooperation. However, the agreement did not mention the treatment of wounded Russian soldiers.
Military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang also deepened in 2024, with Russian President Vladimir Putin signing a mutual defense pact with Kim in June.
Soon after, North Korea escalated its involvement in Russia's war from providing weapons — including artillery ammunition and ballistic missiles — to sending soldiers.
Ukraine placed North Korean losses to as many as 4,000 killed and injured. Budanov nevertheless predicted that North Korea might soon send reinforcements to Russia, namely gun and rocket artillery units.
Kateryna Hodunova
