"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.
Russia's top economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev talks to US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg on April 11, 2025 (Vyacheslav Prokofyev / POOL / AFP)
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 25.
Witkoff's trip follows a mass missile attack on Ukraine overnight on April 24, which saw a combined 215 missiles and drones launched at the country. Many of the missiles and drones targeted Kyiv, killing 12 and injuring 87.
The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to broker a ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine, but Washington has warned it may withdraw from the mediation process if no progress is made in the coming days.
U.S. President Donald Trump on April 24 said that both Russia and Ukraine "want peace," adding that he had set a deadline to finalize a deal aimed at ending the war.
"So we are thinking very strongly that they both want peace," Trump said during a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
"But they have to get to the table. We've been waiting a long time. They have to get to the table. And I think we're going to get peace."
Witkoff has visited Russia several times this year and met with Putin on at least three occasions.
The envoy has drawn criticism from both U.S. and Ukrainian officials for promoting Kremlin-aligned positions, including the idea of trading Ukrainian territory for peace.
Natalia Yermak
