The visit marks Merz’s first trip to Ukraine, and the first time all four leaders have travelled there together.
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.
"As in the past, it is now for Russia to show its willingness to achieve peace," the EU's statement reads.
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."
The number includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"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.
Russian FM spokesperson asked not to comment on ballistic missile strike on Ukraine during briefing

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova received a call during her Nov. 21 press briefing instructing her not to comment on the latest ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine.
Zakharova gave the briefing following a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro earlier that day, allegedly involving an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). If confirmed, it would mark the first use of an ICBM in war, a weapon primarily designed for long-range nuclear strikes.
During the briefing, Zakharova stood near the microphone, allowing a man's voice on the phone to be heard saying: "Masha, our strikes with ballistic missiles, which we did not talk about , are not commented on at all." Zakharova replied, "Yes, thank you."
Zakharova stood near the microphone, so an unnamed man on the phone could be heard telling her: "Masha, our ballistic missile strikes, which we didn't talk about, we don't comment on at all."
Zakharova replied: "Yes, thank you."
A recording of the exchange has circulated online and through various media outlets.
Zakharova later told Russia's state-owned TASS news agency that the call was to "clarify whether the Foreign Ministry could comment on the topic." She added, "The answer was received during the briefing — the Foreign Ministry does not comment. So, there is no intrigue."
Russia allegedly used the Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, during the Nov. 21 attack, Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the report.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said an investigation is ongoing but noted that the missile's "speed and altitude suggest intercontinental ballistic capabilities."
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