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.
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.
Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman and parliament deputy speaker Andrej Danko (R) arrives in Moscow on Jan. 12, 2025. (Andrej Danko/Facebook)
The Polish Foreign Ministry denied claims by Slovak far-right lawmaker Andrej Danko that Warsaw did not permit a Slovak delegation to fly to Moscow through Polish airspace, the Polsat News channel reported on Jan. 12.
"We didn't refuse the flight; the Slovak side simply sent us incomplete documents... when they were asked to complete them, they informed us about the change of route," the Polish Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said.
The delegation, led by Danko, Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman and deputy parliament speaker, and Tibor Gaspar, a member of Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer (Direction) party, arrived in Moscow on Jan. 12 to discuss Russian gas supplies to Slovakia.
Russian-friendly nationalist Danko earlier accused Warsaw of preventing the flight from entering its airspace, forcing the plane to travel over Czechia and Germany.
"I don't understand Poland's position, but I take it as a reality," he said.
The Slovak delegates are expected to meet representatives of the Russian State Duma and other government officials. According to Gaspar, the group will ask whether Russia's state-owned energy company Gazprom can continue to supply gas to Slovakia despite Ukraine's decision to halt the transit of Russian gas through its territory.
The stoppage of Russian gas flows via Ukraine has heightened tensions between Kyiv and Bratislava. Fico, already critical of military aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, threatened to cut energy and humanitarian support after the transit deal expired.
Despite the EU's attempts to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, countries like Slovakia and Hungary remain heavily reliant on Russian gas.
The delegation is expected to return to Slovakia on Jan. 15.
Abbey Fenbert
