"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.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the "Ukraine 2024: Independence" forum in Kyiv on Aug. 27, 2024. (Defense Ministry/Telegram)
Two Ukrainian defense procurement agencies should continue to operate separately at least during wartime, the NATO representation to Ukraine said on Oct. 1, after Kyiv's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said they could be merged.
The NATO statement came days after Umerov said the ministry was planning to merge the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) and the State Rear Operator (DOT) into one agency.
The defense procurement sector was reshaped in December 2023, aiming to meet NATO standards. The DPA, first established in August 2022, was to focus solely on lethal aid. Meanwhile, the DOT was formed to purchase non-lethal aid such as food and clothing.
Ukraine and NATO approved a number of recommendations for the Strategic Defense Procurement Review (SDPR) at the Washington summit in July.
They said the two agencies should be kept separate "to perform their tasks and supporting their independence and anti-corruption policies," including through the swift appointment of an independent supervisory board for each agency.
Despite this, in an interview with Lb.ua media outlet published on Sept. 24, Umerov said the unification of the agencies was in its final stages.
"Our strategy is to hold a strategic session and unite all the agencies into one, according to NATO standards. Some kind of Ukrainian Defense Forces Agency, which will have procurement, logistics, measurement contracts, efficiency, in accordance with NATO," the minister said.
But on Oct. 1 Umerov announced that seperate supervisory boards are to be set up for the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) and the State Rear Operator (DOT) "in the near future."
"Following Defense Minister Umerov’s statement today, we affirm our understanding that the two agencies will be kept separate, and welcome the stated intention to appoint the two supervisory boards very soon," the NATO representation said.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Dominic Culverwell
