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.
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.
North Korean soldiers march during a mass rally on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 9, 2018. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)
Around 3,000 North Korean troops that arrived in Kursk Oblast were housed in barracks only 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border, the Financial Times reported on Oct. 29, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
A few hundred of those are special forces, with the rest being regular troops, one source said.
North Korea had sent troops to Russia to participate in its war against Ukraine and deployed them in Kursk Oblast, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on Oct. 28. Recent reports suggest that a small number may already be in Ukraine.
U.S. intelligence estimated the number of troops to be around 10,000, while Ukraine put the total number at 12,000.
According to the Financial Times, Ukrainian intelligence officials are skeptical regarding the combat effectiveness of the troops and cite communication issues with their Russian counterparts as a main hurdle Moscow and Pyongyang will have to bridge.
A South Korean delegation will visit Ukraine in the second part of the week to share information on North Korea's troops in Russia and discuss cooperation.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has also been urging China to use its relationship with Pyongyang and apply pressure on North Korea to withdraw its troops from Ukraine's front line, CNN reported on Oct. 29, citing a U.S. official.
North Korea’s entry into the war comes when Russia's long and grinding campaign in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region has dramatically gained pace in recent days, with analysts saying Moscow's forces are advancing at a pace not seen since the early months of the war.
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Kateryna Hodunova
