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.
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 logo of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) is pictured above the entrance of the bank's headquarters building on Feb. 1, 2023, in Vienna, Austria. (Heinz-Peter Bader/Getty Images)
The Russian wing of Raiffeisen Bank International cooperates with companies that supply to the Russian army, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 3.
Over the past year, Raiffeisen in Russia received over 62 million rubles ($620,000) for servicing the Russian chemical company Unichim, that isn't under sanctions, yet provides sanctioned companies with components to produce military equipment, according to Bloomberg.
Raiffeisen Bank cooperated with Unichim by involving accounts in banks such as Sberbank, VTB, Soledarnost ("solidarity" in English), and others under sanctions.
Unichim also supplied acids to the Russian company Ravenstvo ("equality" in English) from under sanctioned. The deliveries were made for a project that specialized in developing and modernizing multiple launch rocket systems and aerial bombs.
Ravenstvo, which mainly develops radar systems, is a division of the sanctioned Russian concern Granit-Electron, a manufacturer of key elements for missile systems. The company cooperated with the Proletarsky Shipyard, part of Russia's largest shipbuilder, the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
Raiffeisen Bank also handled transactions for TotalElectro, a cable supplier to the Smolensk Aviation Plant, Bloomberg reported.
The bank probably has other clients that facilitate supplies to the Russian defense industry, Bloomberg reported.
Earlier in September, a Russian court issued a preliminary ruling that banned the transfer of Raiffeisen shares. "This complicates the sales process" and will "inevitably lead to further delays" in Raiffeisen's exit from Russia, the company said.
Due to limitations imposed by the Russian government, Raiffeisen cannot transfer these funds to its parent company in Austria, which has led to the accumulation of 4.4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) of excess capital in Russia, according to Bloomberg.
In 2023, the Russian branch of Raiffeisen Bank earned over $1 billion in the first three quarters, which accounted for about 50% of the group's total profit. The bank also paid 277 million euros ($284 million) in taxes to Russia over the same period, the media outlet added.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Oksana Ihnatenko
