"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
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.
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.
"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.
Illustrative image: A Naftogaz gas company worker adjusts valves after an opening ceremony of the newly built Bobrovnytska gas compressor and holding station in the village of Mryn, about 130 kilometers from Kyiv on Dec. 16, 2008. (Sergei Supinsky /AFP via Getty Images)
Russia attacked 34 facilities of Ukrgasvydobuvannya, Ukraine's largest gas producer and part of the state Naftogaz Group, last winter, leading to a loss of almost 50% of gas production, the company reported on April 21.
Russian forces regularly attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leading to power and heat shortages across the country.
The energy situation was most critical in the cities of Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, and Kherson. Constant Russian attacks and the current state of the gas network could have left more than 1 million people without heating and electricity, the company's statement read.
Emergency crews were said to work around the clock, and the company raised more than Hr 5 billion ($121 million) in humanitarian donor aid to avoid collapse.
Naftogaz also imported 800 million cubic meters of gas and began restoring the damaged infrastructure to withstand the autumn and winter of 2024-2025 and compensate for losses.
In March, Ukrgasvydobuvannya restored more than half of the production volumes lost because of the attacks, the company said.
Naftogaz's interim CEO, Roman Chumak, said the company is already preparing for the next winter period.
Since the beginning of 2025, Naftogaz has contracted 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas, of which 400 million cubic meters will be supplied in preparation for the 2025-2026 autumn-winter period.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Natalia Yermak
