"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.
Ukrainian artist Alina Pash performs at the Grote Zaal theater in Amsterdam, Netherlands on Jan. 19, 2022. (Creative Europe / Bart Heemskerk)
Ukrainian singer and rapper Alina Pash received the Music Moves Europe Award, the European Union’s prize for upcoming artists who "present the sound of today and tomorrow."
"I’m so honored. It means a lot to me and those people who believe in my heart," Pash said on Instagram after the awards ceremony in Groningen, the Netherlands on Jan. 20.
There were 14 nominees for the awards, and Pash received the recognition along with five other acts from Europe. Belgian singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees took the main Grand Jury Prize, and the Public Choice Award went to Armenia’s Ladaniva band.
The jury said that Pash is a "really exciting and unique artist and they can really tell what she stands for straight away."
The five winners received a 10,000 euro prize ($11,300), and all nominees had participated in workshops at Europe’s largest ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) music showcase festival.
Besides music experts Gemma Bradley (BBC Radio 1), Cindy Castillo (Mad Cool Festival), Kevin Cole (KEXP) and Bryan Johnson (Spotify), the jury included an honorary member – Ukrainian rapper Alyona Alyona.
Last year, Alyona Alyona also received the prize, as well as the Public Choice Award. She was the first Ukrainian and the first artist from outside the EU to have won the prize.
Though Ukraine is not part of the EU, the country is enrolled in Creative Europe, the European Commission’s program supporting culture that co-funds the awards.
The Music Moves Europe Awards have been supported and handed out by the European Union since 2004, succeeding the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) and the Music Moves Europe Talent Award (MMETA).
Some of the previous winners are Stromae, Adele, Mumford & Sons, Dua Lipa, Rosalía, Meduza, Lous and the Yakuza.
Artur Korniienko is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, currently on a leave to serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He previously reported on Ukrainian literature, art, music, film and social issues for the Kyiv Post, including the controversial Babyn Yar memorial and other development projects opposed by the community. In 2021, he ran a podcast about Ukrainian migrant workers for RFE/RL on the Vaclav Havel Fellowship in Prague. With a Master's in Journalism from the Ukrainian Catholic University, Korniienko had also worked as a freelance journalist and a TV correspondent.
