"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.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pictured on Dec. 10, 2024 in Freiberg, Germany (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Serbia erroneously voted in favor of a Ukrainian resolution at the U.N. General Assembly calling Russia an aggressor state, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Feb. 24, RTS reported.
The U.N. General Assembly approved the resolution on Feb. 24 condemning Russia's full-scale invasion, with 93 countries voting in favor and 18 against, including the U.S.
Serbia was supposed to abstain from voting on the Ukrainian resolution, Vucic said.
"I believe that Serbia made a mistake today. I apologize to the citizens of Serbia for that, and I take the blame for that because I was probably tired and overwhelmed," he said.
"I didn't have time to deal with this (issue) enough, maybe I'm too tired, maybe I have too many things (to deal with)... I don't think we should pander to any power, neither Russians nor Americans. I think it was in the interest of the state of Serbia. Unfortunately, it didn't happen," he added.
Serbia maintains a friendly attitude toward Russia and has refused to join international sanctions against Moscow in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, Vucic has called Ukraine a "friendly country" and previously affirmed that Crimea and Donbas are Ukrainian sovereign territories.
Vucic expected his vote error would also result in him "losing favor or political points in the EU."
The Ukrainian resolution explicitly names Russia as the aggressor state and demands the complete withdrawal of troops.
The American version of the resolution did not explicitly mention Russia as an aggressor, but after amendments from the EU countries, the document included the wording "Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine." The U.S. abstained from voting after these changes, while Russia opposed it.
Both resolutions were adopted.
Later on Feb. 25, the Slovak National Party demanded that Prime Minister Robert Fico immediately apologize for the mistake, Czech news outlet Denik N reported on Feb. 25.
The Slovak National Party stated that an investigation should determine who authorized the Slovak representative at the UN to vote in this manner.
The party also emphasized that Slovakia must uphold a consistent stance, and insisted that its representatives in international institutions should not vote against the policies set by Fico’s government and backed by the Slovak National Party.
"It is important that the Slovak Republic maintains its position and a clear stance, as Hungary, led by Viktor Orban, does,” the statement said.
"If the government declares something, it is unthinkable that our representatives in international institutions would vote contrary to the policy advocated by the government led by Robert Fico with the support of the Slovak National Party."
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Andrea Januta
