Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
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.
A trade visitor looks at a Diehl IRIS-T SLS anti-aircraft weapon system at the ILA International Aerospace Exhibition on June 22, 2022, in Brandenburg, German
Ukraine has signed a memorandum with German defense manufacturer Diehl Defense to triple the supply of IRIS-T air defense systems and missiles, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on March 9.
The deal comes as Ukraine faces intensified Russian aerial assaults, including Russia’s strike on Feb. 23, which marked the single largest drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion.
"The signed agreement paves the way for large industrial projects that will strengthen the capabilities of Ukraine's air defense," Umerov wrote on Facebook.
The IRIS-T is a modern surface-to-air missile system capable of countering aircraft, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles.
Germany has been a key supplier of the system, with outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announcing an order for 17 additional IRIS-T systems for Ukraine last September.
In late December, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine had received Germany’s sixth IRIS-T battery.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
