"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.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference on April 8, 2025 in Kyiv. (Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional details.
Kyiv is proposing a 30-day ceasefire on long-range drone and missile strikes against civilian infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 20.
Zelensky's proposal falls on Easter Sunday, amid a so-called "Easter truce" initiated on April 19 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite Putin's promise to halt all combat operations over the holiday weekend, Moscow has reportedly violated the temporary ceasefire multiple times.
While Putin plans to let the truce expire at midnight on April 21, Zelensky urged Russia to adopt a ban on aerial attacks on civilian targets.
"Ukraine proposes to abandon any strikes with long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days with the possibility of extension," Zelensky said via Telegram on April 20.
"If Russia does not agree to such a step, it will be proof that it only wants to continue doing things that destroy people's lives and continue the war."
Front-line reports from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi indicate that Russia violated the Easter truce over 2,000 times, Zelensky said.
Air raid alarms, however, were quiet throughout Easter Sunday, Zelensky said.
"So, this is the format of silence that has been achieved and which is easiest to continue."
In the days leading up to Easter, Russia launched deadly ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities during major Orthodox holidays. An attack on downtown Sumy on Palm Sunday killed 35 people and injured over 100. Less than a week later, Russian missiles hit Kharkiv on Good Friday, killing one person and injuring 120.
Following Putin's truce declaration on April 19, Zelensky called on Moscow to extend the ceasefire to 30 days — in line with a U.S. proposal for an interim ceasefire that Ukraine has supported since March.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement on April 20 reiterating Washington's commitment to "a full and comprehensive ceasefire" and saying they "would welcome (the truce) extending beyond Sunday."
Moscow's call for a temporary ceasefire came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to pull U.S. support from peace negotiations if either Russia or Ukraine made the process "difficult."
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
