"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 Ukrainian soldier uses a Starlink terminal during military exercises in Chernihiv Oblast in June 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
Starlink will never shut off its satellite internet terminals in Ukraine, U.S. billionaire Elon Musk said in a post to social media on March 9.
Previously, European officials voiced concern Starlink could cut off Ukraine's access to its internet service, which is crucial to the war effort. Musk and top White House officials clashed with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over the legitimacy of such concerns earlier on March 9.
"To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals," Musk said in a post to his social media platform, X.
Ukraine's front line would collapse if it were not for Starlink internet access, Musk claimed, saying that the Russian army can "jam" all other forms of communication.
"We would never do such a thing or use it as a bargaining chip," the tech billionaire said.
Poland will look for alternative suppliers if SpaceX turns out to be an unreliable provider of Starlink satellite internet for Ukraine, Sikorski said earlier in the day. His remarks drew swift criticism from Musk and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Sikorski should "say thank you because without Starlink, Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now," Rubio said.
"Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost," Musk added to Rubio's remarks.
Poland provides half of Ukraine's total 42,000 Starlinkk terminals, at a cost of about $50 million per year, according to Sikorski.
Fears that Ukraine could lose Starlink access arose after Reuters reported on Feb. 21 that the U.S. had threatened to cut off service if Kyiv did not sign a deal on critical natural resources. Musk has denied these claims.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Kateryna Denisova
