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.
"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.
‘Two big leaders were speaking secretly with Putin,’ Serbia's Vucic claims

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in an interview with the blogger Mario Nawfal on April 1, claimed that "two big leaders" held secret talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the launch of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Vucic did not mention the names of the leaders who attended the Kremlin but Nawfal suggested that he was referring to the 2024 Moscow visits by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, both of which were widely reported at the time.
"I know at least two big leaders that were speaking secretly to (Putin) because of course I still have my friends in the Kremlin," Vucic said while refusing to confirm if he was referring to Orban and Fico.
Serbia maintains a friendly attitude toward Russia and has refused to join international sanctions against Moscow in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Feb. 24, Vucic was forced to apologize after he erroneously voted in favor of a Ukrainian resolution at the U.N. General Assembly calling Russia an aggressor state because he was "probably tired and overwhelmed."
The U.N. General Assembly approved the resolution on Feb. 24 condemning Russia's full-scale invasion, with 93 countries voting in favor and 18 against, including the U.S.
Speaking to Nawfal, Vucic said he would be meeting with Putin on May 9, Russia's "Victory Day."
"I'll see (Putin) after three and a half years, which means that we are very sincere, very honest, and very loyal to what we say," Vucic said.
It will be their first meeting since Vucic's last visit to Sochi on November 25, 2021.
According to Vucic, he and Putin would normally discuss the situation in Ukraine and the overall "Soviet region," but at Sochi during a three-hour meeting, Putin spoke about Ukraine for "only 45 seconds."
"After I left (Putin’s) office, I said publicly that I expect very difficult times, including war. Nobody believed me. Everybody was saying, 'you're a drama queen,'" he said.
"Okay, I'm a drama queen… but I was the only one who was saying that," he added.
Vucic also said he "absolutely" doesn't believe Putin is looking to invade other European countries and going beyond Ukraine.
"That's the way to fear, to scare all the others. And to get them into the camp against Putin," he said.
A recent assessment from German intelligence warned Russia could be preparing for a large-scale war with NATO by the end of the decade.

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
