"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.
A view shows the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow, Russia on April 28, 2022. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)
Slovak gas company SPP began importing Russian gas again through the TurkStream pipeline on Feb. 1, with plans to double supplies by April, Slovak news agency TASR reported on Feb. 6.
SPP Chairman Vojtech Ferencz confirmed that the company still has a contract with Gazprom, citing the lower transit fees compared to other suppliers.
The pipeline goes through Turkey and Hungary, eventually reaching Slovakia.
However, Michal Lalik, head of SPP’s trade division, noted that Slovakia would still need additional imports from other routes, as the current imports cannot fully meet demand.
Slovakia’s gas needs in January were mainly met using domestic reserves, which remain above average.
Ukraine did not renew a pre-war agreement to transit Russian gas to Europe via Ukrainian territory, instead allowing the deal to expire on Jan. 1. Kyiv repeatedly warned that it would not extend the deal in order to stop financing Russia's full-scale war.
Following Ukraine’s decision, Fico threatened to limit aid to Ukrainians and cut off electricity supplies due to the termination of Russian gas transit.
Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban have been among some of the most vocal opponents of Ukraine's decision to stop Russian gas transit.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Sonya Bandouil
