"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
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.
In this handout image supplied by Host photo agency / RIA Novosti, A Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bomber during the military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, May 9, 2015 in Moscow, Russia. (Host photo agency / RIA Novosti via Getty Images)
Russia actively uses at least six Tu-160-type bombers that Ukraine gave to Russia in 1999 as a payment of gas debt, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Schemes' investigation showed on Nov. 26.
The investigation also identified pilots flying the planes and launching missile strikes against Ukraine. Russia regularly uses its strategic aviation to attack cities and infrastructure across Ukraine.
Ukraine handed over Tu-160 supersonic heavy bombers in 1999 as part of a larger debt payment for Russian gas. The journalists identified the planes by comparing their old serial numbers in archives and aviation registries.
RFE/RL was also able to identify some pilots flying these planes against Ukraine, like Oleg Skytskyi, a serviceman of the 22nd Aviation Division, which Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) says is "responsible for numerous victims and destruction in Ukraine," one of them likely being launching a missile that killed an RFE/RL journalist in Kyiv on April 28, 2022.
In the 1999 arms transfer, Kyiv transferred to Moscow eight Tu-160 and three Tu-95MS heavy bombers, as well as 575 Kh-55 cruise missiles, with Russia writing off $275 million in gas debt, 10% of the assets' real value.
The transferred Kh-55 missiles were also used against Ukraine, an earlier investigation by Radio Free showed.
The Tu-160 strategic bombers are among the biggest warplanes ever operated, but they are only sparsely used due to maintenance problems. They were the latest heavy strategic bombers designed in the Soviet Union, capable of carrying conventional and nuclear weaponry.
Their last use was on Nov. 17, when Russia launched one of the largest aerial strikes on Ukraine, killing seven civilians and damaging its energy grid.
Boldizsar is a former Reuters correspondent for Hungary, currently based in Kharkiv, reporting for the Kyiv Independent and various other outlets. He holds degrees in political science, philosophy, and development policy.
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