"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.
Oil pumping jacks, also known as "nodding donkeys", at a Rosneft Oil Co. oilfield near Sokolovka village, in the Udmurt Republic, Russia, on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Oil prices continued their downward trend, heading for their biggest monthly decline since November 2021, Reuters reported on April 30.
As energy revenues remain Moscow's key source of financing its war against Ukraine, the price collapse comes at a critical moment for Russia. While Western sanctions didn't hamper Moscow's ability to sell its energy resources, falling prices might now squeeze its war budget.
According to Reuters, Brent crude dropped another 1.2% to $63.48 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 74 cents, or 1.2%, to $59.68. Both benchmarks have lost about 15-16% in April.
According to publication's market sources, U.S. crude inventories grew by 3.8 million barrels last week, adding to concerns about oversupply in global markets.
The decline in crude prices started in early April when U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imports. China responded with its own tariffs, sparking a trade war between the world's biggest oil consumers.
Recent data cited by Reuters, shows economic troubles in major markets. The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter. Chinese manufacturing activity fell at its fastest rate in 16 months.
Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov admitted Russia was "closely monitoring" oil markets as prices of Urals crude plunged toward $50 per barrel. This drop is particularly worrying for Moscow as its 2025 budget was planned based on oil prices of $70 per barrel.
The Russian Finance Ministry reported that oil and gas revenue already fell by 17% year-on-year in March to 1.08 trillion rubles ($12.8 billion), resulting in a loss of approximately 230 billion rubles ($2.7 billion) in tax income compared to March 2024.
