"(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.
Polish soldiers survey the construction of a fortification wall at Poland's border with Belarus in Tolcze, Poland, on Jan. 27, 2022. (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images)
There is no "possibility" that Poland will reopen its border checkpoints with Belarus, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on April 19.
On April 5, the Polish Border Guard and Polish media reported that the migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border is escalating with "increasing brutality." Belarus and Russia have repeatedly coordinated the arrival of migrants seeking asylum at the EU's eastern border.
Siemoniak noted that Poland would like to open the border with Belarus, but said that the border will remain closed as long as Belarus threatens Poland's border security.
"As long as Belarus behaves this way towards (Poland), I do not see any possibility that anything will change in this area. We would like... for these crossings to be open, for them to function normally," Siemoniak said.
The Polish official condemned Belarus for sending migrants to Poland's border and denounced Belarus's provocations towards Polish border guards.
"(O)n the Belarusian side, we are dealing with the use of migrants, high-profile situations, recently, a uniformed officer threw stones at our border guards, at our cars," he said.
Siemoniak emphasized the need for Poland to protect its border as a member of NATO's eastern flank and noted the responsibility Warsaw holds to protect the Schengen zone's external borders.
"This is not only the border of Poland — it is the border of the European Union, the Schengen zone, and NATO," he said.
The onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022 soured relations between Belarus and Western nations due to Minsk's complacency in Russia's war.
All of Poland's border checkpoints with Belarus, but one, have been closed to passenger traffic.
Poland reported a surge of asylum seekers on its border with Belarus on April 5.
"Tonight there were a lot of attempts to cross the border, probably about 300, all thwarted," Polish Defense Minister Vladyslav Kosinyak-Kamysh said on April 5.
"It is aimed at attacking Poland, not at trying to find shelter. To cross the border illegally is breaking the law," he added.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
