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 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.
Landfall pipes of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in Russia on Sept. 23, 2021. (Nord Stream 2 / Nikolai Ryutin)
The U.S. reimposed sanctions against a number of entities involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the U.S. State Department announced on Dec. 18.
Washington imposed sanctions on entities previously sanctioned under the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act (PEESA) for their involvement in the pipeline's construction, as well as several new owners of vessels previously blocked under PEESA.
The Nord Stream 2 was meant to funnel Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea. Berlin has been heavily criticized by Ukraine, the U.S., and other partners for the project, which they said would deepen Germany's energy dependence on Russia.
The U.S. sanctions list includes 11 Russian companies, including Nord Stream 2 AG, the project operator that provided insurance to the project's companies, and Matthias Warnig, the former CEO of Nord Stream 2 AG.
"We’re going to continue to work and ensure that Russia is never able to weaponize its energy resources and its energy positioning for political gain again," U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters on Dec. 18.
The construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was almost completed when Russia began concentrating its forces near Ukraine's border in late 2021 and early 2022 Ukraine for the full-scale invasion.
In September 2022, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines connecting Russia to Germany were blown up under unclear circumstances.
Investigations have been ongoing since then but have yet to produce a definitive conclusion regarding the cause of the explosions. Moscow and the West have traded blame for the incident.
German investigators reportedly issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national, believed to be part of the group that blew up the pipeline, the German media reported in August. Kyiv has denied any involvement.
Nate Ostiller
