"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.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. (Ukraine's Foreign Ministry/Facebook)
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha arrived in South Africa on Oct. 27 for a two-day visit to meet his South African counterpart Ronald Lamola and other top officials and public leaders.
The visit to Johannesburg and Pretoria will conclude Sybiha's tour across the Middle East and the African continent as he seeks to strengthen ties and drum up support for Ukraine's peace formula.
Apart from government officials, Ukraie's chief diplomat will also meet South African business leaders and the expert community, namely the research and teaching staff of the University of Pretoria, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The discussions will focus on Ukraine-South Africa cooperation, the role of the peace formula "as a single path to a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace," and relations with South Africa as the presiding member of the G20 in 2025.
South Africa, the largest economy on the continent, has claimed neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war but continued to strengthen its economic and political ties with Moscow. The country is a member of the BRICS group alongside Russia, China, and others, and it even carried out joint naval drills with the two countries last year.
Sybiha previously visited Oman, Angola, and Egypt within the tour. His predecessor, Dmytro Kuleba, carried out four diplomatic tours across Africa as part of Kyiv's efforts to bolster ties in the Global South and challenge Russian influence abroad.
Countries in the Middle East and Africa have been the main buyers of Ukrainian agricultural products. Kyiv has maintained the exports despite Russia's Black Sea blockade and threats to maritime shipping.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Ray Hartley
