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.
A woman walks past Sberbank's headquarters in Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 14, 2023. (Alexander Nemenov / AFP via Getty Images)
The U.S. Treasury Department has targeted actors involved in a sanctions evasion scheme facilitating cross-border payments for sensitive goods between China and Russia as part of a new package of sanctions, according to a Jan. 15 announcement.
The U.S. Treasury imposed new sanctions on a total of over 150 entities and individuals, including companies in Russia’s defense industry and those supporting it, as well as dozens of entities across multiple countries that help Russia evade U.S. sanctions.
The Treasury also expanded measures against almost 100 entities already under sanctions for their cooperation with Russia’s military-industrial complex.
"Today's actions frustrate the Kremlin's ability to circumvent our sanctions and get access to the goods they need to build weapons for their war of choice in Ukraine," said Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Wally Adeyemo.
Moscow and Beijing set up regional clearing platforms (RCPs) in both Russia and China to act as counterparties for cross-border payments for sensitive goods. This allows for non-cash mutual payments for sanctioned goods, according to the Treasury.
The Russian-Chinese scheme involves Russian financial institutions on the U.S. sanctions list, such as Public Joint Stock Company Sberbank of Russia, Joint Stock Company Alfa-Bank, Open Joint Stock Company Sovcombank, T-Bank, and Limited Liability Company Bank Tochka.
The sanctions also target OJSC Keremet Bank, based in Kyrgyzstan, which has been coordinating with Russian officials and Promsvyazbank, a Russian bank under U.S. sanctions, to evade sanctions since the summer of 2024.
In 2024, the Kyrgyz Finance Ministry sold a controlling stake in Keremet Bank to a firm closely linked to Russian-Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, who has ties to the Russian government.
The purchase of Keremet Bank was intended to create a hub for circumventing sanctions through which Russia could pay for imports and receive payments for exports, according to the statement.
The new sanctions also target 20 Russian energy companies and over 30 organizations and institutions from the defense and related sectors.
Earlier on Jan. 10, the U.S. and U.K. imposed broad sanctions against the Russian oil industry, taking aim at Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet." The restrictions targeted nearly 200 vessels, along with Russian oil companies and industry officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the sanctions as a "significant blow to the financial foundation of Russia's war machine."
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.
Anders Åslund
