"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.
Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Odesa Oblast overnight, damaging a cargo ship in the region overnight on Oct. 6, 2024. (Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority)
Russian forces attacked the Paresa, a civilian cargo ship flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, in Odesa Oblast overnight on Oct. 6, according to Oleksii Kuleba, the minister for the development of communities, territories, and infrastructure.
The vessel, loaded with about 6,000 tons of Ukrainian corn intended for export, was damaged at the Pivdennyi Port, according to Kuleba.
Kyiv was forced to set up a new export route in the Black Sea last year after Russia unilaterally terminated the Black Sea grain deal. Initially envisioned as a humanitarian corridor to allow the departure of ships stranded there since the start of the full-scale war, it has since grown into a full-blown trade route.
Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Odesa Oblast overnight, damaging a cargo ship in the region overnight on Oct. 6, 2024. (Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority)
There were 15 people on board, including Egyptian and Syrian citizens. No casualties were reported.
Traveling along the route, Ukrainian ships are regularly at risk of being attacked by Russia. Since the beginning of the all-out war, mines have also been drifting along the trade route, which also poses a risk to maritime transport.
A Russian missile struck a cargo ship carrying Ukrainian wheat to Egypt through the Black Sea on Sept. 12. The vessel was sailing through Romania's exclusive economic zone at the time.
Despite Russian attacks, Ukraine has exported over 73 million metric tons of goods to multiple African, Asian and European countries for more than a year of operation, Kuleba said.
"Ukraine remains a guarantor of food and, consequently, social security for many countries around the world. Thanks to the humanitarian initiatives of our country, millions of people receive the necessary food," the minister added.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
The Kyiv Independent
