"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.
Ukrainian flag waves during a joint military exercise Rapid Trident 2019 at the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security of the National Academy of Land Forces near Lviv. (Mykola Tys/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 8 it regretted the decision of Niger's authorities to break off diplomatic relations and rejected any accusations against Kyiv.
The West African nation of Niger cut ties with Ukraine on Aug. 6, two days after neighboring Mali made a similar announcement.
Mali broke diplomatic ties with Ukraine after it accused the country of backing Tuareg-led rebels that inflicted serious losses on Russian Wagner Group mercenaries and Malian soldiers in recent clashes.
"The accusations against Ukraine mentioned in the statement of the representative of the government of this country (Niger) do not withstand any criticism, are groundless and untrue," the ministry's statement read.
The Foreign Ministry also rejected any accusations of Ukraine's alleged "support for international terrorism, violation of the United Nations Charter, and international law."
Such a decision is a gesture of "solidarity" with those who have chosen to be closer to Russia, which has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine for more than two years, the ministry said.
The ministry expressed regret that Niger announced the severance of diplomatic relations without investigating the incident in Mali and providing any evidence referring to the reasons for such a move.
Ukraine is determined to continue developing mutually beneficial relations with all African states, the statement read.
The statement was published as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba continues his African tour, aiming to strengthen ties with African countries. Kuleba has already visited Malawi, Zambia, and Mauritius.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in December 2023 that developing ties with African countries is one of Ukraine's foreign policy priorities for 2024.
Unlike Kyiv, Moscow has long nurtured good relations with the governments on the African continent.
Russia's illicit activities and ties to authoritarian regimes in Africa have been under the public eye for years. Russian mercenaries on the continent, like the Wagner Group, whose operations help to fill Moscow's coffers, have been repeatedly accused of human rights abuses against local populations.
Kateryna Hodunova
