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.
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."
Ukraine deploys British Challenger 2 tanks in Russia incursion, media report

British Challenger 2 tanks have been used during Ukraine's cross-border incursion into Russia that has been ongoing since last week, the BBC and Sky News reported on Aug. 15, citing undisclosed sources.
The U.K. Defense Ministry previously confirmed that there has been no change of policy and Ukraine has the right to use British-supplied weapons – except for long-range Storm Shadow missiles – on Russian territory.
While the ministry did not comment on what specific weapons this entails, sources told the BBC and Sky News that this includes the modern Challenger 2 tanks, 14 of which have been in service with Ukraine at least since January 2023.
At least one British tank was confirmed as destroyed in September 2023.
Equipped with state-of-the-art targeting technology and advanced armor, the Challenger 2 is considered to be superior to the Soviet-era tanks currently operated by both sides in the war.
Kyiv and its partners have remained tight-lipped about the equipment used in the incursion, focused in Russia's Kursk Oblast. Russian media have reported on the use of American Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, as well as German Marders.
Ukraine's 82nd Air Assault Brigade, which has been operating the Challenger tanks, is reportedly one of the units involved in the Kursk incursion. It remains unclear how many British tanks were deployed and at what capacity.
Ukraine has achieved tactical success in its Kursk incursion, claiming to control 74 Russian settlements as of Aug. 13. Military experts quoted by the BBC said that the quick pace of advance was thanks to the effective use of combined arms like armored vehicles, artillery, and drones.

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