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.
"As in the past, it is now for Russia to show its willingness to achieve peace," the EU's statement reads.
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.
The visit marks Merz’s first trip to Ukraine, and the first time all four leaders have travelled there together.
"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."
The number includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"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.
Ukraine’s inflation set to peak by mid-2025, cool to 8% by year-end, central bank says

Ukraine’s inflation rate is expected to peak at 15% by mid-2025 before dropping to 8.4% by year's end, Ukraine’s Central Bank said on Jan. 31.
Poor harvests and higher wages amid labor shortages are currently driving the rising inflation, according to the bank. Inflation in Ukraine accelerated to 12% year-on-year in December 2024, surpassing the bank’s earlier projections.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile items like food and fuel, rose to 10.7% in December 2024, with service prices increasing by 12.5%. The bank responded by raising its key interest rate to 14.5% to curb inflation expectations.
After peaking in the middle of the year and cooling to 8.4% by year’s end, the bank expects inflation to reach a target 5% in 2025.
The slowdown is expected to be driven by the bank’s interest rate policy measures, currency market stability, a new harvest, a narrowing of the fiscal deficit, and moderate external price pressure.
Ukraine has secured assurances from its international partners for $38.4 billion in financial aid for 2025, including support from the U.S., said Andrii Pyshnyi, the bank’s head. The risk of not receiving the expected funding in 2025 is low, he said.
"External financing, together with the possibilities of the domestic debt market, will allow the government to cover the budget deficit without resorting to emission," Pyshnyi wrote on Facebook.
The bank expects real gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 3.6% in 2025, with further acceleration to around 4% in the next two years. Growth will come from investments in energy and production recovery, growing domestic demand, and better harvests.
The impacts of the war, labor issues, and low production investment will hold continue GDP growth back.
The bank’s forecast is based on continued international support and a gradual economic recovery, including a return of Ukrainians who fled abroad at the outset of the full-scale invasion, as well as investment growth.

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