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.
Photo for illustrative purposes. Polish servicemembers attend a press conference near Poland's border with Belarus on Aug. 12, 2023. (Attila Husejnow/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Poland is considering reinstating compulsory military service in response to escalating threats from Russia and Belarus, defense officials told the outlet Polish Radio on March 29.
Situated on NATO's eastern flank, Poland shares borders with Belarus and Russia's heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave. The country has taken several steps to expand and strengthen its military since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The return of mandatory military service is "inevitable," Major General Maciej Klisz, operational commander of Poland's Armed Forces, told Polish Radio. Klisz cited Finland as a model example, noting the country has nearly one million reservists out of a population of 5.5 million.
To match that ratio, Poland would need to have 7 million reserve soldiers, Klisz said. Currently, the country has just over 300,000 reservists.
Polish General Jaroslaw Kraszewski also spoke in favor of mandatory military service, according to Polish Radio. Kraszewski argued that women should be included in conscription as well as men.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans on March 7 to implement large-scale military training for all adult men to strengthen the country's reserve forces. The program, set to begin in 2026, does not amount to a reinstatement of mandatory military service.
Instead, participants without prior military experience are expected to undergo multi-day trainings covering the basics of civil defense, first aid, and select military skills.
Tusk also said he hopes to increase the size of Poland's army — currently numbering about 200,000 regular soldiers — to better match the Russian threat.
Poland would likely be among the first targets in a potential NATO-Russia confrontation.
In January, Tusk urged NATO allies to increase defense spending, arguing that if all European members matched Poland's budget, NATO's military expenditures would be 10 times greater than Russia's.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Alex Cadier
