"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.
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.
Ukrainian troops interrogate a Russian military serviceman taken prisoner during the battle of Izium on Sept. 11, 2022 (Laurent Van der Stockt)
The United States will demand that Russia recognize Ukraine's sovereign right to maintain adequately equipped armed forces and a defense industry as part of any peace agreement, Bloomberg reported on April 24, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The issue is expected to be raised by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 25.
The demand would directly challenge one of the Kremlin's war aims — Ukraine's demilitarization — and is part of a broader push to secure guarantees for Kyiv.
The U.S. also reportedly wants Russia to return the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to Ukrainian control. The plant, occupied by Russian forces since 2022, would then be placed under U.S. oversight to supply power to cities on both sides of the front line.
Other points include providing Ukraine with a secure passage across the Dnipro River and restoring Russian-occupied territory in Kharkiv Oblast to Ukrainian control. Russia currently holds around 200 square kilometers (about 77 square miles) of the region.
The negotiations come as Ukraine remains under pressure to respond to a broader U.S. peace plan first presented in Paris on April 17. According to the Wall Street Journal, that plan includes U.S. recognition of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO — two long-standing Kremlin demands.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected any deal involving territorial concessions. "This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," he said on April 22.
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied Ukraine is being forced to accept the Crimea clause, though he criticized Zelensky's refusal to negotiate on the matter as "harmful to the peace negotiations."
Russia launched deadly missile strikes on Kyiv on April 24, killing at least 12 civilians and injuring 90. Trump responded by calling the attacks "not necessary" and "poorly timed," but did not condemn Russia or threaten consequences.
Ukraine has already accepted a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire introduced in March, contingent on Russia's agreement. Moscow has refused so far.
Witkoff, the Trump administration's Middle East envoy, has met Putin multiple times this year and has faced criticism from both U.S. and Ukrainian officials for supporting proposals seen as favorable to the Kremlin, including trading territory for peace.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
