"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.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The U.S. plans to review the deployment of its troops around the world but is not going to send them to Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a press conference on Feb. 11.
Hegseth's remarks come amid ongoing discussions among Western countries about the possible deployment of peacekeeping forces if a ceasefire is negotiated.
"We are not sending U.S. troops to Ukraine," Hegseth told reporters in Stuttgart, Germany, during his visit to U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command headquarters.
Hegseth added that Washington currently has no plans to reduce the U.S. contingent abroad but will review its deployment by President Donald Trump's strategic vision.
The U.S. Defense Secretary also expressed hope for a swift peace agreement in Ukraine, which Trump has pledged to conclude.
"With hopefully a rapid peace deal in Ukraine, which the President (Donald Trump) is committed to delivering, we can then review force posture and encourage as you're going to see tomorrow (on Feb. 12) ... at the Ukraine contact group and the NATO ministerial, we're going to have straight talk with our friends," Hegseth said.
Hegseth is expected to attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), also known as the Ramstein summit, as part of a tour of Germany, Belgium, and Poland, according to a Pentagon statement published Feb. 7.
At the summit, the defense secretary aims to "reiterate President Trump's commitment for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible," the statement read.
However, this time, Hegseth is not likely to announce new military aid supplies, which was a regular occurrence during the Joe Biden administration, according to the Washington Post (WP).
The Pentagon chief will not hold separate meetings with his Ukrainian counterparts but will rather be a "listener" at the Ramstein and at the meeting of NATO defense ministers on Feb. 13, an unnamed U.S. official told WP on condition of anonymity.
The transition of power in Washington and expected changes in U.S. policy on Ukraine cast doubt on the future of the Ramstein summit. In February, for the first time since the establishment of the Ramstein format, the meeting was convened by the U.K., not the U.S.
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.
Martin Fornusek
