"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.
Signage for U.S. broadcaster Voice of America is seen in Washington, DC, on March 16, 2025. (Bonnie Cash/AFP via Getty Images)
A U.S. judge on March 28 halted the Trump administration's efforts to shut down Voice of America (VoA), temporarily preventing the firing of some 1,300 employees placed on leave earlier this month.
District Judge J. Paul Oetken granted a temporary restraining order following a lawsuit filed by VoA staff, unions, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) last week.
The ruling presents yet another obstacle to U.S. President Donald Trump's planned dismantling of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VoA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Radio Free Asia.
Oetken said that the administration "failed to provide adequate reasoning behind the sweeping changes to USAGM and seemingly failed to consider any reliance issues in effectively closing the agency."
VoA is a government-funded media founded in 1942, broadcasting in almost 50 languages around the world.
"We're very pleased that the judge agreed to freeze any further action by the government to dismantle Voice of America," said Clayton Weimers, the executive director of RSF USA, in a statement.
"The fight to save VOA — and, indeed, the free press — continues as the Trump administration works to deprive the world of a reliable source of information."
Earlier this week, USAGM reversed its decision to terminate grant funding for RFE/RL after a district court ruled the funding freeze was unlawful.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kateryna Denisova
