"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 entrance to the Russian city of Belgorod, some 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, on May 28, 2023. (Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images)
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on March 18 that the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to enter Russia's Belgorod Oblast but were repelled by the Russian military.
The news of an alleged Ukrainian offensive in Belgorod Oblast surfaced in Russian media just ahead of the phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, denied the claims.
Ukraine allegedly launched an offensive on Belgorod Oblast to "discredit Trump's peace initiatives," the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.
According to the ministry, Ukraine carried out five assaults toward the settlements of Demidovka and Prilesye.
"All attacks were repulsed by the actions of the state border protection units of the 'North' forces group, artillery fire and the use of FPV (first-person-view) drones. No crossing of the state border of the Russian Federation was allowed," the ministry's statement read.
Ukrainian authorities did not comment on the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Belgorod Oblast borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts and is regularly used by Russia to launch strikes against Ukrainian territory.
Belgorod Oblast authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of launching attacks against the region and Belgorod proper throughout the full-scale war.
Recently, multiple clashes have been reported in the region amid Ukraine's ongoing cross-border incursion focused on neighboring Kursk Oblast.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Oleg Sukhov
