"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.
Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev in Moscow, Russia on April 2, 2024. (Russian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev arrived in New York on June 26 to participate in a U.N. summit of police chiefs (UNCOPS-2024), said ministry spokesperson Irina Volk.
The U.S. announced sanctions against Kolokoltsev and other top Russian officials on Feb. 25, 2022, the day after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Despite being sanctioned, Kolokoltsev does not appear on the U.S. Treasury's list of individuals barred from entering the U.S.
According to a U.N. press release, UNCOPS-2024, which runs from June 26 to 27, aims "to engage on strengthening international peace, security, and development for all through the unifying power and enabling role of national and U.N. policing."
Volk also said that Kolokoltsev held bilateral meetings, including with the U.N.'s Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
Volk said that Kolokoltsev had spoken with Lacroix about the reported Ukrainian strike earlier in June on Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, and called for a U.N. assessment.
Russia's Defense Ministry has claimed that Ukraine used U.S.-supplied weapons in the attack, which allegedly killed four people and injured 151. The reports could not be independently verified.
Kolokoltsev also reportedly discussed the rise in "Russophobic sentiments" around the world with Lacroix.
Russia's Interior Ministry is "open to cooperation on the entire range of peacekeeping issues," Volk concluded.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Nate Ostiller
