"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
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.
Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov speaks during the Diia Summit in Kyiv on Feb. 8, 2022. (Facebook/Mykhailo Fedorov)
On Feb. 8, the Diia City, a special legal and tax regime for IT businesses, came into force.
With Diia City, the government wants to raise the share of the IT sector in the country's gross domestic product to 10% from the current 4%.
As of Feb. 11, three days after the launch, 52 companies had applied to join Diia City.
Among the best-known applicants were: the U.K.-based banking tech startup Revolut, artificial intellegence (AI) investor Roosh, Ukrainian security system maker Ajax, Ukrainian AI startup Reface, and Fintech Band, the company behind Monobank, a popular mobile-only bank.
“We want to invest in Ukraine, we want to create jobs here,” said Dmitry Strelchuk, Revolut’s operations manager, during the Diia City launch day, welcoming the new regulations.
In addition to the special economic regime, officials announced the launch of a fund that will cover half the cost of online courses for IT specialists.
“One of the world’s best tax systems is now available for small startups as well as big IT companies at any location across Ukraine,” said Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, the main advocate of Diia City. “Talented developers will be able to implement their ideas here, at home.”
Named by President Volodymyr Zelensky “a digital capital of the electronic state,” the Diia City is expected to triple IT industry revenue from the current $6.8 billion in the next few years, putting Ukraine among the largest IT hubs in Europe. The government pledges to keep the tax regime in force for 25 years.
“Diia City is not only about making business, but also about people, as the most valuable asset,” Andriy Oksenyuk, chief financial officer at Ciklum, an IT giant of over 3,500 employees, with the core team working from Kyiv, told the Kyiv Independent.
According to Business Ombudsman Roman Waschuk, the Diia City was designed with a “whole-system approach,” something that “rarely happens” in other Ukrainian industries.
“It would be great to see other examples, like Diia Selo (village), or Diia Utility payments,” said Waschuk.
At the same time, just a few months before the launch the new legislation sparked controversy among a number of companies in the IT industry. The industry's rapid development in Ukraine is often attributed specifically to the lack of attention from the government and regulators.
According to the survey conducted by the Lviv IT cluster, only 5% of IT developers welcomed Diia City. With the new system being non-mandatory and companies free to join and leave at will, local city budgets will benefit less from tax changes.
“We will constantly track any attempts from the state to violate this compromise (between IT business and government needs). We will protect the interests of IT companies,” said Stepan Veselovskiy, head of the cluster, news agency Espresso.TV reported on Feb. 11.
Oksenyuk from Ciklum believes that the stability of the new regime amid political instability is crucial for the country. If the new regime proves its efficiency over the next year, there will be another “round of digital ecosystem development in the country.”
“It may bring massive changes into education, the evolution of the market of talents, and Ukraine's position in the global IT arena,” said Oksenyuk.
Still, Ciklum is in no hurry to join Diia City, considering this a “serious step.”
"It is important for us to hear the opinion of our colleagues and evaluate the experience of the 'pioneers'. Only after this we can move toward concrete plans," said Oksenyuk.
Natalia Datskevych is a business reporter at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, she worked as business reporter for the Kyiv Post. She studied economic theory at Kyiv National Economic University and holds a Ph.D in economic science.
