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.
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.
Ukrainian armored personnel carrier drives on the road on the border with Russia on Sept. 23, 2024, in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. (Maksym Kishka/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Jan. 6 that Ukrainian positions in Russia's Kursk Oblast could play an important role in possible talks with Russia, the AFP news agency reported.
The Biden administration, whose term expires in a few weeks, has sped up the delivery of military assistance to Ukraine to put Kyiv in the strongest possible position in potential peace negotiations.
"Their (Ukraine's) position in Kursk is an important one because certainly it's something that would factor in any negotiation that may come about in the coming year," Blinken told reporters in Seoul.
The comments come at the heels of reports of Ukraine launching new offensive operations in Kursk Oblast after months of being on the defensive.
Ukraine launched the cross-border incursion in early August, allegedly seizing 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian soil. Since then, Moscow has deployed reinforcements, including thousands of North Korean soldiers, and reportedly recaptured around half of the lost territory.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also called the Kursk incursion an important "trump card" in any potential talks.
There are growing expectations of possible peace talks in 2025 as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, pledged to bring both sides to the negotiating table.
Trump's return to the White House sparked concerns among Ukraine's allies due to the president-elect's past criticism of the Biden administration's support for Kyiv.
In comments made since his reelection, Trump hinted at a possible reduction of U.S. assistance but said he would not "abandon" the country, instead aiming to leverage Washington's aid to push Russia to negotiate.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kateryna Denisova
