"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.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Konstantin Palace on June 17, 2023 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed peace talks are "moving in the right direction," but noted "specific points... need to be defined" in an interview with CBS News released on April 24.
"Well, the president of the United States believes — and I believe rightly so — that we are moving in the right direction," Lavrov said.
"The statement by the (U.S.) president mentions a deal, and we are ready to reach a deal, but there are some specific points, elements of this deal, which need to be defined," Lavrov added.
U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing de jure recognizing Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea and barring Ukraine from joining NATO as part of a potential peace deal. "I think we have a deal with both (Russia and Ukraine), I hope they do it," Trump said on April 23.
Lavrov noted that a peace deal is still being negotiated, but that it is "moving in the right direction."
"(W)e are busy with this exact process and the United States did not spell out the elements of the deal," he claimed.
"Well, you don't trust the word of the president of the United States?" Lavrov said when pressed by journalists to confirm if Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
It has been reported that Witkoff will meet Putin in Moscow on April 25.
Lavrov expressed that peace talks are going in the right direction.
"We continue our contacts with the American side with the deal with Ukraine. There are several signs that we are moving in the right direction," he said.
The U.S. could reportedly de jure recognize Russian control over Crimea and de facto recognize Moscow's illegal occupation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
Ukraine would be prohibited from joining NATO, but would remain permitted to pursue EU membership. Sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 would be lifted, and the U.S. and Russia would pursue deeper energy and economic cooperation.
"President Trump is probably the only leader on Earth who recognizes the need to address the root causes of this situation. This was a mistake by the Biden administration, and he wants to rectify this, Lavrov claimed.
On April 23, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that the U.S. presented a "very explicit proposal" to Ukraine and Russia on a peace deal.
Vance repeated warnings that the U.S. might drop its peace efforts if both sides refuse to settle a peace deal. White House officials have warned that Washington would abandon the peace efforts if a deal is not reached soon.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Natalia Yermak
