"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.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Jens Stoltenberg, outgoing secretary general of NATO, left, and Mark Rutte, incoming secretary general during a transition ceremony at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 (Ksenia Kuleshova/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
NATO has to ensure that Ukraine "prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation," Mark Rutte said on Oct. 1, as he took the helm as the new secretary general of the military alliance.
Speaking alongside the outgoing Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte praised his predecessor's achievements during his tenure.
"You’ve already mentioned the priorities you’ve been working on and these priorities we’ll take forward in the future — Ukraine," he said.
"We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation."
Rutte added that NATO members have to "spend more" in order to "increase our collective defense," adding: "NATO’s partnerships… have to go wider, and deeper, given all the insecurities in the world."
Answering questions from reporters, Rutte also addressed the upcoming U.S. presidential election, diplomatically addressing both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
"I know both candidates very well. I worked for four years with Donald Trump. He was pushing us to spend more, and he achieved it — at the moment we are at a much higher spending level," he said, adding: "He was also pushing us off China, and he was right.
"Of course, Kamala Harris has a fantastic record as vice president, she is a highly respected figure. So, I hope, I will be able to work with both."
Ukraine is still hoping to join NATO, and an invitation is part of Kyiv's victory plan, the head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said on Sept. 24.
Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, half a year into Russia's full-scale invasion.
The July NATO summit in Washington ended with the launch of the Ukraine Compact, a security framework signed by 32 allies.
The countries affirmed Kyiv's "irreversible" path toward membership, though Ukraine did not receive any definitive news about its future accession.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Elsa Court
