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."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha talking to journalists ahead of a NATO ministerial meeting and the Ukraine-NATO Council session in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 3, 2024. (Ukraine's Foreign Ministry/Telegram)
Ukraine is appealing to its NATO partners to provide at least 20 air defense systems to help repel Russian aerial attacks, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said ahead of an allied meeting in Brussels on Dec. 3.
Ukraine's diplomacy chief is in Brussels to attend the NATO foreign ministers' meeting and participate in the Ukraine-NATO Council session. Kyiv seeks to secure not only additional military assistance but also the much-coveted invitation to join the alliance.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the meeting, Sybiha brought the Budapest Memorandum, a document signed by Ukraine, Russia, and Western powers in 1994. In accordance with the agreement, Kyiv gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees.
"This document failed to secure Ukrainian security and Trans-Atlantic security. So we must avoid repeating such mistakes," Sybiha said.
"That's why, of course, we will discuss with my partners the concept of 'peace through strength,' and we have a clear understanding of which steps we need from our friends to do our homework."
Earlier today, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting any "alternatives, surrogates, or substitutes for Ukraine's full membership in NATO," presenting the Budapest Memorandum as an example of failed assurances. The statement came only two days ahead of the 30th anniversary of the document's signing.
Last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested ending the "hot phase" of war along Ukraine's eastern front in exchange for NATO membership, not immediately including occupied territories.
Several allies remain opposed to Ukraine's quick accession to the alliance, including Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary, according to earlier reporting and statements. Reuters reported that an invitation during the upcoming summit was unlikely due to a lack of consensus among NATO members.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
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