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.
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.
A protester holds Ukrainian and French flags in his hand during a demonstration in front of the Russian consulate in Marseille, France, on Feb. 25, 2023. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Ukrainian Defense Industry, a state-owned enterprise, has signed three agreements with the French defense company Thales, according to a statement published on Thales's website on June 19.
The deals were signed under the aegis of the French Armed Forces Ministry and Ukraine's Strategic Industries Ministry, the statement read.
One of the agreements announces an intention to create a joint venture in Ukraine to boost the delivery of military gear in the country. The deal includes electronic warfare, tactical communications equipment, air defense systems, and radars.
Thales also pledges to provide extensive maintenance, testing, and specialized training, specifically in electronic warfare, according to the second agreement. It aims to develop local maintenance capability within Ukraine, as well as ensure its "best operational availability."
A third agreement was signed by Thales and the Ukrainian company FRDM, which specializes in unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV),
The deal stipulates co-developing and manufacturing "an unmanned aircraft system capable of carrying and releasing munitions."
"Thales is a long-standing partner to the Ukrainian forces, collaborating for more than 10 years, first in electronic warfare and then expanding to a broad range of programs," Pascale Sourisse, the company's senior executive vice president, said.
"Moving forward, they (the agreements) also demonstrate our commitment, through collaboration with leading Ukrainian players and suppliers, to establish a longer-term foothold in Ukraine and bolster the country's local defense industry."
France has backed Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 by sending military equipment and providing financial aid.
Paris also wants to establish a coalition of countries to send military instructors to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on June 7.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Kateryna Denisova
