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.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visits Washington, D.C., in April 2025. (Denys Shmyhal / Telegram)
The pending agreement between the United States and Ukraine regarding minerals and natural resources will not include financial aid provided to Kyiv prior to the signing of the deal, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 27.
Shmyhal visited Washington as part of a Ukrainian delegation holding technical talks with U.S. officials on the long-debated minerals deal April 24-26. The prime ministermet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss "important political aspects" of the agreement.
The delegations "made good progress" in their negotiations, Shmyhal said in a Telegram post on April 27.
"The main thing is that we have clearly defined our red lines, the agreement must comply with European obligations and not contradict the Constitution and legislation of Ukraine," Shmyhal said.
"It must be ratified by the Parliament. It has been agreed that the document does not count the assistance provided before its signing."
The U.S. and Ukraine signed a memorandum on the minerals deal on April 27 but have yet to finalize the agreement. According to the memorandum, technical talks should be completed by April 26, with the goal of signing shortly thereafter. U.S. President Donald Trump complained on April 25 that Kyiv was "at least three weeks late" in signing the deal.
Trump has touted the minerals deal as a way for the U.S. to "recoup" aid provided to Ukraine over the course of Russia's full-scale war. Earlier versions of the deal granted the U.S. extensive control over a joint investment fund with no offer of security guarantees in return.
Ahead of technical talks with the U.S., Deputy Economy Minister and Trade Representative Taras Kachka said the deal would not entail converting previously provided U.S. aid into debt.
"The United States, as one of the partners, will earn at least as much from the activities of this fund as the aid provided," Kachka said.
The deal has been under discussion for months and has stalled over concerns it contradicts Ukrainian law and could interfere with Kyiv's hopes of joining the European Union. It also became a point of tension between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, who got into a heated argument in the White House on Feb. 28 when the deal was set to be signed by the two leaders.
Shmyhal did not specify a date on which he expects the deal to be signed.
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.
Daria Shulzhenko
