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.
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.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at a press conference ahead of the annual NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 10, 2023. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
During a speech at a German Marshall Fund event on Sept. 19, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated his support for further providing Western-made weaponry to Ukraine, noting that additional deliveries will continue to help Ukraine push back against Russian aggression on the battlefield.
"The paradox is that the more weapons for Ukraine we are able to deliver, the more likely it is that we can reach a peace and end to the war," Stoltenberg said. "The more credible our long-term military support, the sooner the war will end."
Stoltenberg's comments come amid intensified rhetoric and saber-rattling from Russian President Vladimir Putin and various Russian officials.
Russia has repeatedly attempted to draw "red lines" in recent months as Western countries contemplate allowing Ukraine to use Western long-range missiles to strike deep within Russian territory.
While many NATO allies have responded by reassuringUkraine of its support with the delivery of weapons, other political leaders have opposed additional weapons deliveries, and have instead called for negotiations with Moscow.
During his speech on Sept. 19, Stoltenberg rebuffed the notion of sustained peace without adequate support for Ukraine, stating that "any future deal must be backed by strong military support to Ukraine."
"We all want this war to end. The quickest way to end the war is to lose it. But that will not bring peace. It will bring Russian occupation."
Stoltenberg's comments on additional weapons deliveries come just days after the outgoing NATO chief said that the bloc could have provided Ukraine with more arms to prevent Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine
"Now we provide military stuff to a war — then we could have provided military stuff to prevent the war," Stoltenberg told the German newspaper FASon Sept. 14.
Stoltenberg has consistently urged NATO allies to increase defense spending amid risks of fracturing among the alliance.
During the recent NATO summit in Washington, the alliance clarified Ukraine's "irreversible" path toward NATO by emphasizing the alliance's ongoing commitments to Kyiv "constitute a bridge to Ukraine's membership."
On Sept. 19, Stoltenberg doubled down on his past statement on, adding that there can be "no lasting security for Ukraine, without NATO membership."
"NATO’s door is open. Ukraine will join," Stoltenberg concluded.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Nate Ostiller
