Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"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.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a meeting of the heads of state of the North Atlantic Council, Indo-Pacifc Partners, and the European Union during the 2024 NATO Summit on July 11, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Seoul on Nov. 27 to discuss the deepening military ties between Russia and North Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Several media outlets reported that the Ukrainian delegation is visiting Seoul to seek arms supplies, something the East Asian country has been reluctant to provide.
More recently, Yoon said that the South Korean government is not ruling out changing its stance and providing defense support in light of North Korea's dispatch of troops to Russia.
During the meeting, the two sides "agreed to continue sharing information on North Korea's troop deployment to Russia and on weapons and technology transfers between Russia and North Korea, while working together with allied nations," the South Korean Presidential Office said, according to Yonhap.
Ukrainian officials also reportedly met with National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to discuss intelligence on North Korean troops.
Pyongyang is believed to have dispatched over 10,000 troops to aid Russia's war, with the first clashes with Ukrainian forces reported in Kursk Oblast. North Korea has also become Moscow's leading supplier of artillery shells and ballistic missiles.
Neither the Ukrainian delegation nor South Korean officials commented on whether Umerov arrived in Seoul to seek military supplies.
Experts told the Kyiv Independent that a rapid supply of arms to Ukraine is unlikely due to South Korea's legal contains on providing weapons to a combat zone. A recent poll also showed that while the majority of South Koreans see the growing Russian-North Korean ties as a threat, 82% oppose sending arms to Ukraine.
According to the experts, South Korea could provide the most significant support to Ukraine through ammunition supplies. The country fields not only 155 mm artillery but also stores 3.4 million 105 mm rounds compatible with some of Ukraine's guns.
A South Korean official recently said that direct supplies of 155 mm ammunition are not on the table, with Yoon commenting that Seoul is currently looking at the possibility of providing "defensive weapons," without providing details.
Chris York
