"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.
A screenshot from the video announcing Ukraine's new Palianytsia missile-drone on Aug. 25. (United 24/X)
Ukraine’s recently developed Palianytsia, a lightweight missile-drone hybrid, has entered serial production, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov wrote in an op-ed on Dec. 4.
"A new start-up implemented the Palianytsia missile project, which has already entered serial production thanks to the support of the Defense Ministry," Umerov wrote in the article published by the LB.UA outlet.
Ukraine began actively developing its missile program after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Domestically produced long-range weapons are of key importance to Ukraine's defense strategy, as Western partners only recently allowed strikes in Russia’s Kursk Oblast with foreign-made missiles but prohibited attacks deeper in the rear.
One of these domestic-made weapons is the missile-drone hybrid named Palianytsia, which combines existing technologies to effectively strike deep into Russian territory.
"The use of foreign missiles often requires coordination with partners… Ukrainian cruise and ballistic missiles will allow our Armed Forces to act independently, delivering pinpoint strikes on key enemy targets," Umerov wrote.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in November that Ukraine has produced its first 100 missiles. According to Umerov, Ukraine also resumed and scaled up serial production of Neptune cruise missiles, modifying them to have a greater range.
There is a "significant volume" of new and long-term orders for first-person-view (FPV) drones, reconnaissance drones, long-range drones, and missile-drones, Zelensky said on Dec. 3 after a meeting with top officials.
Boldizsar is a former Reuters correspondent for Hungary, currently based in Kharkiv, reporting for the Kyiv Independent and various other outlets. He holds degrees in political science, philosophy, and development policy.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
