"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.
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.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur speaks to media representatives at NATO headquarters in Brussels on 11 April 2025. (Anna Ross/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Moscow may attempt to strike some kind of a ceasefire deal with the U.S. on May 9, the day Russia celebrates victory in World War II, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said on April 11.
"Take the Feb. 24 (when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine). Feb. 23 is the day of Russian Army. For the Kremlin, always, dates are very important," Pevkur told journalists in Brussels.
"So this is why I believe that also May 9, which is for us, the day of Europe, for Russia is the day of ending the Second World War, they will strive probably towards this to get some kind of deal, some kind of ceasefire or whatever."
U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to broker a ceasefire and a broader peace deal to end Russia's all-out war against Ukraine. Moscow has rejected a 30-day truce agreed upon by Washington and Kyiv, and the partial ceasefire on strikes against energy facilities has failed to prevent continued attacks.
Estonia's defense chief argued that this potential deadline should incentivize Kyiv's partners to speed up military support.
The comments come as representatives of some 40 countries meet in Brussels for the 27th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, with the allies promising "billions" in additional support.
European leaders are likely to seek to reassure Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov about their continued commitment as the U.S. support grows increasingly uncertain under the Trump administration.
A day earlier, Brussels hosted a meeting of the "coalition of the willing," an informal group led by the U.K. and France that seeks to provide Ukraine with post-war security guarantees, including a potential deployment of peacekeeping troops.
Pevkur voiced support for the initiative but said it should not come at the expense of weakening NATO's eastern frontier.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
