Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"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.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Belarusian counterpart Aleksandr Lukashenko visit the historical monuments and examine the construction and revival works in Shusha, Azerbaijan on May 17, 2024. (Azerbaijani Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Belarus delivered advanced weapons to Azerbaijan for years, despite being in a Russia-led security alliance with Armenia, Politico reported on June 13, citing a cache of leaked documents.
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on June 12 that Armenia was to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance made up of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
"We will leave," Pashinyan told the Armenian parliament, accusing the CSTO of plotting "against us with Azerbaijan," which seized the region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023.
Article 4 of the CSTO Treaty states that if a member state experiences aggression, then all member states must come to its aid, in a similar way to NATO's Article 5 principles.
"We will decide when to leave. We won't come back, there is no other way," Pashinyan said.
According to Politico, a cache of letters, diplomatic notes, bills of sale, and export passports show that Belarus supplied "advanced military hardware to Azerbaijan between 2018 and 2022."
The move is likely regarded as a "bitter betrayal" by Armenia as the supplies gave Baku the "upper hand" in its conflict with Yerevan, Politico said.
The help Belarus reportedly provided to Azerbaijan ranged from supplying artillery targeting equipment and new gear for electronic warfare to modernizing artillery equipment.
The services offered included modernizing older artillery equipment and providing new gear used for electronic warfare and drone systems, Politico said.
Pashinyan's announcement on June 12 is the latest in a series of steps Armenia has taken to distance itself from the CSTO.
Armenia's Foreign Ministry said in May that Armenia will not partake in the financing of the CSTO. In March, Yerevan threatened to leave if the military alliance failed to address Armenia's collective security concerns.
Pashinyan said in February that Armenia had "frozen" its participation in the Russian-led CSTO because it failed to uphold its objectives regarding Armenia.
The remarks come amid a growing rift between Yerevan and Moscow, which was exacerbated when Russian "peacekeepers" in Nagorno-Karabakh did not prevent Azerbaijan's armed seizure of the region.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Chris York
