"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.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa holds a speech at the National Dialogue Conference on February 25, 2025, in Damascus, Syria. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)
Syrian authorities requested Russia to extradite ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, but were turned down, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview with the New York Times published on April 23.
Assad, a Moscow ally who had ruled Syria since 2000, was toppled in a surprise rebel offensive in December 2024 and subsequently was given refuge in Russia.
Al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda affiliate who led the offensive, was appointed interim president in January. The sudden leadership change cast doubt on Russia's military presence in Syria, namely the Tartus naval base and Khmeimim air base.
Speaking to the NYT, al-Sharaa alluded to the possibility of continued military cooperation with Moscow, stressing Syria's long-standing reliance on Russian arms.
"Until now, we have not had offers from other nations to replace Syrian arms," which are primarily Russian-made, the Syrian leader told the news outlet. He also underscored a number of past food and energy agreements between Moscow and Damascus.
At the same time, al-Sharaa acknowledged that Russia was asked to hand over Assad as a condition for Russia's continued military presence. This request was denied, he said, without elaborating on how this affects future bilateral ties.
Al-Sharaa took office after 23 years of brutal civil war, which left the country's economy ravaged and diplomatically isolated from the West and several major players in the Middle East. The new leader has sought to carefully foster new international ties, leading to the U.S. and the EU easing sanctions imposed on the country.
The Syrian government announced on April 20 that it had received its first shipment of 6,600 tons of wheat since Assad's fall. Reuters reported that the supplies came from Russia.
Ukraine has also opened dialogue with the new Syrian government. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Damascus in December 2024, saying at the time that Kyiv and Damascus share similar views on Russia's continued military presence.
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.
Kateryna Denisova
