"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.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the 23-year-old current Olympic high jump champion from Dnipro, during the the Diamond League in China’s Xiamen on April 26, 2025. (Wanda Diamond League/X)
Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh cleared 2.00 meters to win the women’s high jump at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, extending her winning streak on the circuit to 10 consecutive victories, Suspilne reported on May 3.
Mahuchikh, 23, triumphed over Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers, who finished second with a best jump of 1.98 meters. Fellow Australian Eleanor Patterson placed third at 1.95, while Ukraine’s Yuliia Levchenko ended in fourth after clearing 1.92.
It marked Mahuchikh’s 21st career win in Diamond League competition. Her last defeat in the series came in Monaco in July 2023, where she finished third.
Levchenko showed strong form early, clearing all heights up to 1.92 on her first attempts, while Mahuchikh only entered the contest at that mark. The Ukrainian duo were joined in medal contention by Patterson and Olyslagers, both of whom also cleared 1.92.
Mahuchikh and Olyslagers successfully cleared 1.98 and then raised the bar to 2.00 meters. Mahuchikh moved over on her first try, but Olyslagers was unable to clear the height in three attempts.
The meet in Shanghai followed the season opener in Xiamen, China, where Mahuchikh also won and Levchenko posted her season-best of 1.91 meters.
Mahuchikh, originally from Dnipro, currently holds the world record for women's high jump at 2.10 meters and was named world champion in the event in August 2023.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Andrea Januta
