"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.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, speaks at a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 12, 2025. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The U.S. will hold new ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine in separate meetings in the coming weeks, and a temporary ceasefire will pressure Russia to comply, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on April 9.
"I believe that in the coming weeks there will be a meeting between the Americans and the Russians and between the Americans and the Ukrainians," Zelensky said.
"I believe that certain time limits will provide opportunities to put pressure on Russia. If you have a ceasefire for an unclear period — it is a frozen conflict," he said.
The U.S. has previously led separate talks with Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia to reach a ceasefire. On April 6, Zelensky said Russia is rejecting an unconditional ceasefire because it wants to continue launching missile strikes from the Black Sea.
"There may be an extension, but it is important that there is a deadline for which all parties must be held accountable: (including both) mediators and the parties at war," he said.
Zelensky called for an unconditional ceasefire with Russia to deter Moscow from breaking any potential agreement.
"(W)e believe that any ceasefire will be disrupted by the Russian side. Therefore, we believe that the most important thing the American side can do is a complete and unconditional ceasefire," Zelensky said.
The U.S. has pledged to act decisively if a ceasefire is not reached, he said.
"If they do not succeed, they promised to take strong corresponding steps. What those steps will be, I don't know. They know that sanctions and military support for Ukraine are important to us. We will wait for these two steps," Zelensky said.
The U.S. finds peace talks that drag on as "unprofitable," he added.
Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.
Ukraine has already agreedto a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to theterms. So far, Moscow has refused.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
