"(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.
Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, UK, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. (Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ukraine is seeking an extension of the current trade liberalization mechanism with the European Union, which is set to expire after June 5. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal hopes the EU will extend the mechanism until the end of 2025, allowing more time to develop an alternative proposal.
Shmyhal's comments followed the Ukraine-EU Association Council meeting in Brussels on April 9, according to European Pravda.
Shmyhal highlighted the importance of extending the Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) until the end of 2025, ensuring that Ukraine has adequate time to incorporate conditions for free trade into Article 29 of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.
The ATMs were introduced by the European Union on June 4, 2022, to provide temporary tariff-free and quota-free access for Ukrainian goods, including cereals, animal or vegetable fats and oils, iron and steel, while certain sensitive products, such as poultry, eggs, honey, and sugar, were subject to emergency safeguards if their imports exceeded predefined thresholds.
European Pravda reported on April 9, citing a senior EU official familiar with the negotiations, that Brussels does not plan to implement new unilateral trade preferences for Ukraine once the current package expires.
"At all levels, we discussed the importance of extending autonomous trade measures until the end of this year - at least in order to have time to make appropriate changes to Article 29 of the Association Agreement and consolidate these autonomous trade measures, which allow us to actually trade duty-free," Shmyhal explained.
He noted that Ukraine has already integrated into the European market, acknowledging the pragmatic approach Ukraine takes in discussions with European partners.
"Of course, we are extremely pragmatic in our discussions with our European partners and understand our level of responsibility. We are ready to negotiate with our partners, with the European Commission, in order to maintain the level of cooperation that exists today," Shmyhal said.
Despite the challenges, Shmyhal expressed optimism about resolving the issue. "Partners hear us very well, partners understand Ukraine's needs, and we are grateful for such truly constructive, very deep cooperation and understanding," he concluded.
Ukraine's ongoing negotiations with the EU are part of broader efforts to ensure continued access to the European market and maintain vital trade benefits as the country navigates its path forward.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Kateryna Denisova
