"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.
Parviz Nasibov of Ukraine after winning against Hasrat Jafarov of Azerbaijan in the 67kg Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling 1/2 Final during the Olympic Games on August 07, 2024 in Paris, France. (Kadir Caliskan/United World Wrestling/Getty Images)
Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler Parviz Nasibov will compete for the gold medal in the 67-kilogram category at the 2024 Paris Olympics after successfully defeating Azerbaijani wrestler Hasrat Jafarov in the semi-finals on Aug. 7.
Zhan Beleniuk, 2021 Olympic gold medalist and current Ukrainian lawmaker, will compete for the bronze medal in the 87-kilogram category on Aug. 8 after losing his semi-final match to Iran’s Alireza Mohmadipiani on criteria.
Nasibov, the silver medalist during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, will compete for the gold medal against Iran's Said Esmaili on Aug. 8 at 6:15 p.m. Paris time. While Beleniuk will compete for bronze the same day against a yet to be determine wrestler.
Ukraine has so far won eight medals at the Paris Olympics - including three gold, two silver, and three bronze. The country is guaranteed at least one more medal on Aug. 8.
Earlier on Aug. 7, Ukraine's Oleksandr Khyzhniak defeated Nurbek Oralbay of Kazakhstan 3:2 in the Olympic boxing middleweight final, claiming his first-ever gold medal.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Kateryna Hodunova
