"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.
British Chief of the Defense Staff Tony Radakin, British Defense Secretary John Healey, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and German general Carsten Beuer give a press conference ahead of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels on April 11, 2025. (John Thys/AFP via Getty Images)
The 27th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels on April 11 will gather representatives of some 40 countries, including the U.S., German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told journalists.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky would join the meeting, co-chaired by Germany and the U.K., through a video link, Pistorius added.
The Ramstein-format meeting comes at a pivotal time for the pro-Ukraine coalition. The U.S. has signaled reduced commitment to Europe's and Ukraine's security, and European parties scramble to shore up support for Kyiv as it faces Russian aggression.
Sitting with Pistorius and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey reminded that the previous summit in February saw the allies commit almost $2 billion in aid.
"Today we will pledge billions more", Healey told journalists at the start of the summit.
The U.K. and Norway have already committed an additional 450 million pounds ($585 million) in military support, while Germany pledged four new IRIS-T air defenses, armored vehicles, missiles, shells, and other support.
"Our priority is air defense, and it is very important that our partners hear us," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"Our partners can help with this and also speed up the implementation of all agreements reached earlier. Patriots that remain unused in storage with our partners should be protecting lives."
The UDCG was launched by former U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in 2022, delivering some $126 billion in military support to Ukraine from roughly 50 countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump's accession to office in January brought a major shift in the U.S.'s foreign policy. The new administration has yet to approve any new aid package for Kyiv and instead seeks to broker a peace agreement with Russia.
The 26th Ramstein format meeting on Feb. 12, the first summit since Trump took office, was also the first UDCG meeting not chaired by the U.S. defense secretary as Hegseth passed the role to his British counterpart Healey.
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.
Chris York
