"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."
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.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv on Aug. 14, 2023. (Photo by Thomas Imo via Getty Images)
Ukraine has fulfilled 81% of its commitments made under the Association Agreement with the European Union, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 9 following the 10th meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Shmyhal highlighted progress made in areas including customs, intellectual property rights, education, information exchange, humanitarian policy, justice, public procurement, and national security.
“Once again, we are demonstrating that we are able to make our way to EU membership quickly and efficiently. This year, we aim to open all six clusters in the EU accession negotiations and deepen sectoral integration,” Shmyhal said.
The prime minister believes Ukraine can achieve significant results in European integration “not in years, but in months,” he added at a press conference held after the meeting.
Ukraine expects to join the bloc after the end of the war, Shmyhal said.
“We can do all the necessary work to become full members of the EU immediately after the war is over,” Shmyhal said.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Cos praised Ukraine’s efforts on its path to EU membership, saying “the progress is undeniable.”
“The screening of three negotiating clusters is already complete, with our ambition clear,” she said, adding, “It is possible to open all clusters by 2025.”
Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in June 2022. In December 2023, the European Council agreed to launch formal accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova.
Katarina Mathernova, the EU's ambassador in Kyiv, said Ukraine could potentially join the EU before the end of the decade.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
