"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.
Photo for illustrative purpose. Russian soldiers take part in a parade for Victory Day in Moscow's Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2023. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russia developed offensive plans targeting civilian and military sites in Japan and South Korea in the event of a war with NATO, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 31, citing documents shown to the outlet by Western sources.
The leaked plans, drawn up between 2008 and 2014 to train military officers for a potential conflict on Russia's eastern flank, are reportedly still considered "relevant to Russian strategy" today.
The documents outline 160 potential targets, including civilian and military infrastructure such as roads, bridges, factories, and military installations in NATO-allied Japan and South Korea.
The plans detailed how striking these targets could protect Russia's eastern flank in a broader conflict by disrupting the "regrouping of troops in areas of operational purpose."
Military targets identified in the plans include the central and regional command headquarters of the Japanese and South Korean armed forces, radar installations, air bases, and naval facilities. Civilian infrastructure targets include roads, bridges, and rail tunnels.
Other key sites include fuel refineries, industrial facilities such as steelworks and chemical factories in Busan, South Korea, and 13 power plants, including a nuclear complex in Tokai, Japan.
Although the plans were drafted between 2008 and 2014, both Russia and NATO are now openly discussing the possibility of war.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, speaking at a Defense Ministry meeting on Dec. 16, said Russia needed to prepare for various scenarios, including a "potential conflict with NATO within the next decade."
Belousov accused NATO of preparing for war, citing actions such as appointing a representative in Kyiv and supporting Ukraine’s NATO membership during the Alliance's 75th-anniversary summit in July 2024.
On the Atlantic side, European NATO foreign ministers have begun discussing a gradual increase in the alliance’s defense spending target from 2% to 3% of GDP by 2030.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in particular advocated for a larger defense budget, saying: "If Putin attacks, we need to be able to wage war."
Martin Fornusek
