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.
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.
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."
"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."
U.S. Pastor Mark Burns arrived in Ukraine and visited cities in Kyiv Oblast liberated from Russian forces three years ago on March 30, 2025. (Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman/Facebook)
U.S. President Donald Trump's spiritual advisor, Pastor Mark Burns, arrived in Ukraine and visited cities in Kyiv Oblast liberated from Russian forces in 2022, Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman said on March 31.
Azman invited Burns to visit Bucha, Borodianka, and Irpin. Three years ago, Russia's attempts to encircle Kyiv failed after more than a month of heavy fighting, with Moscow's troops retreating from the capital's outskirts.
Hundreds of residents of the three towns were found to have been tortured, raped, and executed by the Russian army.
"The war in Ukraine is bigger than Democrats or Republicans, the Left or the Right. Whether you dislike President Trump or President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, real people are dying here," Burns said on X.
Ukraine's religious leaders and U.S. Pastor Mark Burns during a meeting on March 30, 2025. (Mark Burns/X)
U.S. Pastor Mark Burns arrived in Ukraine and visited cities in Kyiv Oblast liberated from Russian forces three years ago on March 30, 2025. (Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman/Facebook)
Reflecting on his trip to Kyiv Oblast, Burns listed Russian war crimes, including deported children and raped women, executions of civilians and destruction of multiple churches.
Ukraine's top religious leaders also told him about Russia's systematic religious persecution.
"Yet despite these horrors, Ukraine stands strong as a beacon of religious freedom, welcoming all faiths," Burns said.
The pastor said that Ukrainian soldiers on the front line "are not asking for money" but for more weapons and fighter jets "to shoot down the drones that still fire at civilian buildings, and killing people."
Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready to take such a step if Russia also agrees to the terms. So far, Russia has refused, instead attempting to extract major concessions from the U.S. in exchange for partial ceasefire agreements.
Mark Burns is a televangelist and pastor of Harvest Praise & Worship Center in South Carolina. He supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election and was labeled by Time Magazine as "Donald Trump's Top Pastor."
"Pastor Burns is a man who has the ability to be heard where big decisions are made. And I believe that the voice of truth from Ukraine will be brought to the heart of the new U.S. leadership," Azman said.
Trump has adopted a more critical stance toward Ukraine than his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. The new administration has temporarily paused military and intelligence support for Kyiv while praising the U.S. president's supposedly warm relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Martin Fornusek
