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.
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.
Participants walk in front of a large screen displaying the logo of Russia's energy giant Gazprom during the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Sep. 15, 2022. (Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images)
European energy firms have filed lawsuits against Russian energy giant Gazprom totaling 18 billion euros ($19.6 billion) over gas supply cuts, the Moscow Times reported on March 10.
The claims stem from Gazprom's decision to drastically reduce gas deliveries to Europe in 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that payments be made in rubles.
When European customers refused, Gazprom significantly cut supplies, including through the Nord Stream pipeline.
The total amount of claims against Gazprom is nearly equal to its net revenues from gas exports, which include $10 billion from sales to Europe and Turkey, $7 billion from China, and $2 billion from Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
The largest lawsuit was filed by German energy company Uniper, formerly Gazprom's biggest client in Germany and a co-investor in the Nord Stream 2 project.
The company imported 20 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually and is seeking 14.3 billion euros ($15.5 billion) in damages over losses incurred after Russian supplies were halted.
Gazprom has responded with counterclaims in Russian courts, seeking to block legal proceedings outside Russia.
The Financial Times reported on March 2 that Matthias Warnig, a former Stasi officer and longtime ally of Putin, has been lobbying the U.S. to support a potential restart of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
The pipeline, which was co-financed by five European energy firms, was severely damaged in an apparent sabotage attack in September 2022.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Martin Fornusek
