"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.
Fighters for the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) patrol through town during the Congress for the Fusion of Movements in Kidal on Aug. 28, 2022. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Souleymane Ag Anara / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian special services have offered information and training to Tuareg rebels in Mali, particularly in drone operation, the French outlet Le Monde reported on Aug. 1, citing a Tuareg commander and other sources.
Following the reports, Telegram accounts affiliated with the Wagner Group confirmed on July 29 the deaths of Wagner fighters in a battle in Mali.
Tuareg fighters then claimed on Aug. 1 to have killed 84 Wagner mercenaries in recent clashes.
Ukrainian special services have explored strategic cooperation with Tuareg soldiers, a rebel commander told Le Monde.
"We have links with the Ukrainians, but just as we have with everyone else, the French, Americans, and others," said Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the pro-independence coalition.
Andrii Yusov, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson, said on July 29 during a television broadcast that Ukrainian intelligence services had cooperated with rebels in Mali.
The Tuareg soldiers "received useful information, and not just that, which allowed them to carry out a successful military operation against Russian war criminals," Yusov said.
Yusov did not provide details regarding the nature of the collaboration.
According to Le Monde's sources, some rebels received training from Ukrainian forces on how to fly drones.
The West African nation of Mali has been the subject of a significant Russian influence campaign since the Malian army overthrew the government in a coup in 2021. The Wagner mercenary group, headed by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, was particularly active in Mali, and has been accused of perpetrating war crimes and widespread looting.
Russia maintains a strong presence in African countries through Wagner and other entities, propping up authoritarian governments, fueling destabilization, and extracting resources to fund its war against Ukraine.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Alexander Khrebet
