"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.
The bulk carrier Bison delivering coking coal from United Coal Company to Ukraine. Photo published on April 8, 2025. (Metinvest)
Metinvest, Ukraine's largest steel producer, has received the first shipment of 80,000 metric tons of coking coal from its U.S.-based enterprise this year, the company said on April 8.
The U.S. supplies are meant to offset the loss of coking coal from the mine near Pokrovsk, which has suspended operations as Russian forces are closing in on the Donetsk Oblast town.
The Ukrainian steelmaker is set to receive a vessel carrying 80,000 metric tons of coal every month to support its operations in the Zaporizhstal and Kamet Steel plants.
"Despite the challenging conditions in the Ukrainian steel industry due to the aggressor’s ongoing invasion, we have mobilized our resources to ensure the industry’s operation," said Yurii Ryzhenkov, Metinvest's CEO.
"Although coking coal import is more expensive than its domestic equivalent due to logistics, this is an important step to help the Ukrainian economy," the chief executive said, adding that U.S. coal supplies will also provide tens of thousands of jobs and help boost tax revenue.
Metinvest is receiving supplies from United Coal Company, a producer based in the Appalachian region that was acquired by the Ukrainian steelmaker in April 2009.
The Pokrovsk coal mine is one of Eastern Europe’s largest and Ukraine’s sole producer of coking coal, a key component in steelmaking—Ukraine's second-largest export after agriculture.
Pokrovsk, a crucial logistics hub for Ukrainian forces, has been the focus of fierce fighting as Russia intensifies its offensive in Donetsk Oblast.
Yuliia Taradiuk
