"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.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt conducts a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on March 17 that the Trump administration believes they have "never been closer" to closing a ceasefire deal in Ukraine, ahead of a call scheduled between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for March 18.
"I won't get ahead of those negotiations (between Trump and Putin) but I can say we are on the 10th yard line of peace," Leavitt said at a press briefing, using an American football analogy to suggest a resolution is within reach. "We’ve never been closer to a peace deal than we are in this moment and the president is determined to get one done."
Trump said on March 17 that he plans to have a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
The planned call follows U.S.-led negotiations in Saudi Arabia, where Washington proposed a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv accepted the deal during talks in Jeddah on March 11, prompting the U.S. to resume military and intelligence support for Ukraine.
On March 13, Putin said Russia was also willing to accept the ceasefire but demanded guarantees that Ukraine would not mobilize troops, conduct training, or receive military assistance during the truce, making it potentially vulnerable to renewed Russian aggression.
"I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets," Trump said on Air Force One.
When asked by reporters whether dividing up territory and power plantsbetween Ukraine and Russia has been part of the discussions between Kyiv and Washington, Leavitt confirmed "that has been part of the discussion," but would not preemptively say whether Trump will discuss the issue with Putin on March 18.
The White House has insisted that both Russia and Ukraine will have to make compromises in order to end the war, calling Ukraine's goal of restoring its pre-2014 borders "unrealistic."
The U.K. news outlet the Independent reported on March 16, citing senior Ukrainian officials, that Ukraine is ready to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, but remains firm on several areas, including the return of children and civilians, no further ceding of territory, as well as establishing international security guarantees.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Abbey Fenbert
