"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.
Journalists surround first deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in Donbas (TCG), Vitold Fokin. (Hennadii Minchenko / Getty Images)
Vitold Fokin, Ukraine's first prime minister and former deputy head of the delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on the war in Donbas, has died at the age of 92, his granddaughter Maria Fokina announced on Facebook on March 20.
Born on Oct. 25, 1932, in the village of Novomykolaivka, Donetsk Oblast, Fokin began his career working in coal mines, eventually rising to management positions in Ukraine's coal industry.
Following Ukraine's declaration of independence on Aug. 24, 1991, he became the country's first prime minister and served until Oct. 1, 1992.
Fokin played a key role in Ukraine's early years of independence. On Dec. 8, 1991, he was among the signatories of the Bialowieza Accords alongside President Leonid Kravchuk, an agreement that formally dissolved the Soviet Union and led to the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Following his resignation, Fokin became a researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations and served as president of the International Foundation for Humanitarian and Economic Relations between Ukraine and Russia.
In August 2020, at the age of 87, Fokin was unexpectedly appointed the first deputy head of Ukraine's delegation to the TCG, the international negotiating body comprising Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Fokin's appointment sparked a public backlash over several of his controversial statements, particularly regarding Russia's role in the war in Donbas.
Fokin claimed that Russia had been "forced" to annex Crimea to prevent an "American takeover" and denied that Ukraine was at war with Russia in Donbas, contradicting years of official Ukrainian policy and military realities on the ground.
His remarks were widely condemned by Ukrainian officials, with former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov calling for his resignation and Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak urging his removal.
On Sept. 30, 2020, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Fokin from his post, citing the incompatibility of his views with Ukraine's official stance.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Martin Fornusek
