"(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.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
A Gazprom compression station, the starting point of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, in Ust-Luga, Russia, Jan. 28, 2021. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect comments made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Russia's Gazprom Export announced that its supply of natural gas to Austria is ending on Nov. 16, according to OMV, Austria's largest gas supply company.
The Austrian energy company said it had expected this to occur and will continue to import gas from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, according to a report from Deutsche Welle.
Russia has been paying Ukraine transport fees to carry its gas to Europe through Ukrainian pipelines as part of a 2019 agreement. Russia has been raking in billions of dollars of profits selling the gas to European partners, including Austria.
Since the outbreak of the full-scale war, European countries have taken steps to sharply reduce their dependence on Russian gas, with the share of Russian gas among EU natural gas imports dropped from 45% in 2021 to 15% last year.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said "the supply is secure" and "no one will freeze," according to Deutsche Welle.
"Our gas storage facilities are full and we have sufficient capacity to obtain gas from other regions," he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed a similar sentiment on social media declaring that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "using energy as a weapon."
"(Putin) is trying to blackmail Austria & Europe by cutting gas supplies," von der Leyen said. "We are prepared for this and ready for the winter. Gas storage across the EU is full."
Earlier in the week, the International Chamber of Commerce awarded OMV a $243 million award from Gazprom due to irregularities in German gas supplies the company was providing. At the time, the company said it saw the potential for a halt in the gas supply as a result.
Andrea Januta
