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."
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov signed an agreement on credit support for Ukraine's defense industry with U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey in the presence of President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on July 19, 2024 (Ukraine's Presidential Office)
The U.K. and Ukraine signed an agreement that provides credit support for the development of Ukraine's defense industry, Ukraine's Presidential Office announced on July 19.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov signed the agreement in London with U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey in the presence of President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
According to the Presidential Office, the agreement will support the partial production of air defense systems, armored vehicles, and ammunition in Ukraine.
"Due to the need for rapid development of capabilities and the high cost of defense projects, Ukraine cannot currently finance them from its state budget," the Presidential Office said.
The text stipulates that British suppliers will be able to conclude credit agreements and contracts with Ukraine for up to 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion).
The agreement will "fire up both the U.K.'s and Ukraine's defense industrial bases and increase military hardware and weaponry production," the British government said ahead of the signing on July 18.
Zelensky arrived in the U.K. on July 18 to attend the European Political Community summit, held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Upon arrival, he immediately met Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and recently appointed ambassador to the U.K.
The agreement was signed in Kyiv during the U.K.'s largest-ever trade mission to Ukraine. A delegation of 29 British defense companies was present at the signing, together with representatives from 70 Ukrainian defense companies.
During the trade mission, BAE Systems also signed an agreement with the U.K. government for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul services in Ukraine of the L119 light gun, a 105 mm howitzer.
As well as the L119, Ukraine's military uses 17 different types of weapons and equipment made by BAE Systems, such as Challenger tanks and Bradley armored vehicles. BAE Systems opened an office in Ukraine in August 2023 to help launch the domestic production of weapons like the L119 in partnership with Ukrainian manufacturers.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Elsa Court
