"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.
A logo for Lada automobiles, a unit of OAO Avtovaz, stands on display at the Moscow International Auto Salon (MIAS) in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Russian demand for domestically-made cars has dropped by about half, AvtoVaz CEO Maxim Sokolov told journalists on April 21, underscoring the challenges of the Russian automotive industry.
Sokolov, the chief executive of Russia's largest state-owned car manufacturing company, said that AvtoVaz itself is expecting a 33% year-on-year drop in Lada car sales in April.
"Last year in April, car sales were around 45,000 units, and last year in March, somewhere around 42,000," Sokolov said, according to Interfax news agency.
"This year... we will reach 30,000 cars in April." Lada car sales have also gone down by about a third in March 2025 when compared to March 2024.
Sokolov's warnings are even more pessimistic than last year, when he predicted a 21-30% drop in sales in 2025 if high interest rates persist. Russia's central bank raised its key interest rate to 21% in October 2024, its highest level since 2003, aiming to curb inflation caused by massive wartime spending to meet its 2026 target.
Some observers have also connected the drop in demand to psychological factors, a phenomenon that has emerged several times over the past decades in periods of economic uncertainty.
"We see how dynamically demand is falling: for our cars, by about a third, on the market as a whole, by almost 50%, including AvtoVaz," Sokolov noted.
The CEO urged the state to expand its support programs for the automotive industry, specifically by reinstating subsidies for families buying cars on credit.
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has created major challenges for its economy, driven by sweeping international sanctions and soaring inflation fueled by record-high defense spending.
The recent thaw in relations with the U.S. under President Donald Trump has provided a modest boost to the Russian economy, helping the ruble strengthen and improving investor sentiment.
Asami Terajima
