"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.
The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major which sank after an explosion on Dec. 24, 2024 (Rosmorport)
U.S. President Donald Trump has extended sanctions on Russian and Russian-affiliated vessels, according to a U.S. Federal Register document released on April 15 and scheduled for publication on April 17.
Trump has "been continually frustrated" with both Ukraine and Russia as U.S.-led ceasefire negotiations drag on, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on April 11. Trump earlier signed an executive order extending sanctions against Russia for one year, originally imposed by former U.S. President Joe Biden in April 2021.
"I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the Russian Federation and the emergency authority relating to the regulation of the anchorage and movement of Russian-affiliated vessels to United States ports," the document says.
On April 9, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation to heighten the enforcement of sanctions against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, seeking to crack down on oil revenues that fund Russia's war against Ukraine.
"Russia is continuing its malign actions by operating a 'ghost fleet' to evade U.S. sanctions, enrich its own war machine, and even aid Iranian oil smuggling," one of the sponsors of the bill, Republican Senator Joni Ernst, said.
On April 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new sanctions package targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet."
The "shadow fleet" aims to circumvent sanctions imposed against Russia and continue flows of oil revenue to Moscow.
"(The sanctions) target, in particular, the shadow tanker fleet that Moscow uses to finance the war; war propagandists — those who are trying to undermine our defense and help Russia; and also certain officials — these are names well known to all Ukrainians — who used to have influence," Zelensky said.
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.
Nina L. Khrushcheva
