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."
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.
U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey visits the Ukrainian Catholic Church in central London on Nov. 19, 2024 to mark 1000 days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Kin Cheung/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey on Nov. 20 declined to confirm reports that Ukraine used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets within Russia.
"We have seen, over recent weeks, a significant change in the action and in the rhetoric on Ukraine, and Ukraine's action on the battlefield speaks for itself," Healey told members of parliament on Nov. 20.
Healey did not confirm the reports, but said he had met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov the previous day to discuss "Ukraine's robust response to recent Russian escalations."
The ministers discussed the U.K.'s plans to continue supporting Ukraine through the end of 2025, Healey said.
"(A)t this point, I am not able to go into any further operational details," he said.
The reported Storm Shadow strike came a day after Ukraine allegedly used U.S.-made ATACMS to attack Russian territory for the first time, following outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden's approval on Nov. 17.
Different versions of Storm Shadow missiles have a range of 250-560 kilometers. Storm Shadows have previously been used to hit Russian military targets in occupied Crimea, a sovereign Ukrainian territory illegally annexed by Russia.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
