"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
The announcement follows mounting fears that the two nuclear-armed countries were on the brink of engaging in another full-scale war.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
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.
The visit marks Merz’s first trip to Ukraine, and the first time all four leaders have travelled there together.
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.
"As in the past, it is now for Russia to show its willingness to achieve peace," the EU's statement reads.
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."
The number includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Telegram, WhatsApp, other sites suffer outages in Russia
Russian users on Aug. 21 reported widespread outages of Telegram and WhatsApp messengers, the VKontakte social network, and many other websites and apps.
Although Russian authorities linked the problems to a cyberattack, the news follows the Russian government restricting the Signal messaging app and – reportedly – YouTube.
The most recent outages also affected Wikipedia, Yandex, the Steam video game distribution service, the Twitch streaming service, Skype, the Discord social network, mobile operators and providers, government websites, and more.
The Downdecetor service recorded a spike in outages on Aug. 21, though the number of complaints for sites like Telegram and WhatsApp has dropped as of 3:30 p.m. local time.
Roskomnadzor, the Russian federal censorship agency, blamed the problems on a large-scale DDoS attack and claimed that it had been repelled as of 3 p.m.
According to the Kyiv Independent's sources, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) has launched a number of DDoS attacks against Russia, most recently in late July. The agency has not claimed responsibility for the most recent outages in Russia.
Telegram and WhatsApp were the first services to encounter problems on Aug. 21.
According to comments on the Downdetector website, Telegram also experienced outages in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Problems with WhatsApp were recorded only by Russian users. Some said that the services become accessible when using a virtual private network (VPN).
Kateryna Hodunova
Mikhail Klimarev, director of the anti-censorship NGO Internet Protection Society, commented that a DDoS attack on "all operators in Russia" would not be possible.
"And how can we explain that messengers and several other services crashed, while the rest (including VPN, by the way) remained operational?" Klimarev asked.
Instead, the expert suggested that Russian authorities are attempting to block the messeging apps. He explained the outages in Central Asian states by pointing out that network transit to these countries goes through Russia.
Telegram was founded by Russian-born businessman Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, but the company is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. WhatsApp, co-founded by Ukrainian entrepreneur Jan Koum, is owned by Meta.
These services are among the remaining platforms for Russian citizens to avoid government censorship amid an increasingly harsh crackdown on information space.
The efforts to suppress the freedom of speech, particularly regarding information that contradicts its narratives about the full-scale war, has intensified since 2022.
After Roskomnadzor moved to block Signal due to alleged "violations of Russian law," rumors emerged about plans to block WhatsApp as well.
Meanwhile, YouTube has begun experiencing massive outages following reports that the Russian government is planning to block the site completely in September.
Abbey Fenbert
Most Popular
After 3 years of full-scale war in Ukraine, Europe announces plan to ban all Russian gas imports
Ukraine, Europe's ceasefire proposal includes US security guarantees, no recognition of Crimea, Reuters reports
Journalist Roshchyna's body missing organs after Russian captivity, investigation says
After Russia's deadly attack on Kyiv, Vance reposts denunciation of Zelensky
Ukrainian sea drone downs Russian fighter jet in 'world-first' strike, intelligence says
Editors' Picks
How medics of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade deal with horrors of drone warfare
As Russia trains abducted children for war, Ukraine fights uphill battle to bring them home
'I just hate the Russians' — Kyiv district recovers from drone strike as ceasefire remains elusive
