"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.
Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the economic issues via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia on April 11, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov / Sputnik / AFP)
The White House has dimissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to establish a temporary government in Ukraine under United Nations supervision, Reuters reported on March 28.
Putin suggested a transitional administration, overseen by the U.N. and several countries, could be formed in Ukraine to organize elections.
"This is only one of the options. I am not saying that there are no others... This is one of the options, and such practice exists in the work of the U.N.," he said.
A White House National Security Council spokesperson dismissed the proposal, emphasizing that Ukraine's governance is determined by its constitution and its people.
Ukrainian presidential advisor, Dmytro Lytvyn, suggested that if Putin struggles to understand who to engage with for peace talks, he might need "some pills to kickstart his brain activity."
Russian officials have repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine's sovereignty. Meanwhile, Russia itself is classified as a consolidated authoritarian regime with manipulated elections, according to Freedom House.
Putin has systematically eliminated political opposition by imprisoning, exiling, or silencing his rivals. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, one of Putin's most prominent critics, was killed in an Arctic prison in February 2024 under suspicious circumstances.
Russia's government has also banned opposition candidates from elections, cracked down on dissent, and labeled critics as "foreign agents" to suppress political competition.
Putin claimed that Ukraine's current leadership is illegitimate because elections were not held after Zelensky's term expired.
"If he himself is illegitimate, then all the others are too," he said, arguing that new elections could be held under foreign supervision to install a government that "enjoys the people's trust."
Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in place since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Moscow has shown little willingness to negotiate a peace deal, making maximalist demands in ceasefire talks with Ukraine and the U.S.
Despite claiming to uphold an informal ceasefire on energy infrastructure since March 18, Russia struck energy targets in Kherson on March 27. Zelensky said Ukraine had honored a March 25 agreement on halting strikes on such facilities.
The U.S. has been mediating negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war. Ukraine has already agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire, announcing on March 11 that it is ready to implement the measure if Russia reciprocates.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
