"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.
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.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce talks on a variety of subjects, including peace in Gaza and Ukraine, and takes questions at the U.S. Department of State Press Briefing on April 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Thomas / Middle East Images / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
A ceasefire that would put a stop to the "meatgrinder" in Ukraine is the key condition for any future discussions on the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told journalists on April 10.
"It is a dynamic that will not be solved militarily. It is a meat grinder," Bruce said at a press briefing.
"There is nothing else (that) can be discussed for the outcome until the shooting and the killing stops."
The comments came the same day as U.S. and Russian delegates met in Istanbul to discuss embassy operations in a meeting the State Department described as "constructive."
Also on April 10, the two countries carried out a prisoner exchange, with Russia releasing U.S.-Russian national Ksenia Karelina in exchange for German-Russian citizen Artur Petrov.
U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine has been accompanied by the resumption of direct diplomatic contact with Moscow after years of isolation imposed by his predecessor, ex-President Joe Biden.
Officials on both sides have also discussed venues for economic cooperation, with the Russian side calling for sanctions relief as part of the ceasefire talks.
Though Trump has repeatedly boasted about his warm relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he seems to be growing frustrated with the Kremlin's chief as his attempts to negotiate a truce stall.
Moscow rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by Kyiv and Washington on March 11 and repeatedly violated the pause on strikes against energy infrastructure penned on March 25.
The Kremlin claims it had adhered to the partial truce and, in turn, accused Ukraine of the same violations.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio implied last week that the U.S.'s patience with Russia may be running out, noting that Trump would not engage in "endless negotiations about negotiations."
"We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I hope they are," Rubio said.
Bruce commented that Russia "needs to take (Rubio's statement) seriously."
"But this is not going to go on for six months or a year or anything else. And the president has also made it clear we want diplomacy, but the fact is is that we're watching and judging as this process continues," she added.
The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened additional sanctions and tariffs against Russia unless it comes to the negotiating table and scales down attacks on Ukraine but is yet to take the step.
While exerting little pressure on Russia, Trump has taken a tougher stance on Ukraine, briefly pausing all military and intelligence support in March after publicly berating President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
