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.
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."
A woman walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on May 17, 2024 (Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
North Korean missiles used by Russia in attacks on Ukraine since December have become more accurate, Reuters reported on Feb. 6, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Analysts believe North Korea is using the battlefield as a testing ground for its missile technology, enhancing its weapons for future use.
North Korea has supplied Russia with artillery ammunition, ballistic missiles, and soldiers since the start of the full-scale invasion. Military cooperation deepened after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense pact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June.
A military source told Reuters that more than 20 North Korean ballistic missiles fired at Ukraine have displayed improved accuracy in recent weeks, with their deviation from the intended target reduced to 50-100 meters.
A Ukrainian official familiar with North Korean missile strikes also allegedly confirmed the information, according to Reuters.
Reports indicate that North Korea has provided Russia with over 5 million artillery shells and at least 100 short-range ballistic missiles, including KN-23/24 types.
Pyongyang has significantly advanced its missile programs in recent years, developing short- and medium-range systems that allegedly can carry nuclear warheads.
Elsewhere, North Korean troops who had been deployed to Russia's Kursk Oblast since last fall to support Moscow's war effort have reportedly withdrawn from frontline positions.
Yonhap news agency, citing South Korean intelligence, reported on Feb. 4 that North Korean soldiers had not been engaged in combat since mid-January.
Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, denied reports that North Korean soldiers have not been seen on the front line for weeks.
Ukraine's forces have been operating in Kursk Oblast since launching a cross-border incursion in August 2024, seizing approximately 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
