A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"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.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff attends an interview after meeting with Russian officials at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein / AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has rubbished British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan for a special coalition force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Speaking with American far-right political commentator Tucker Carlson on March 21, Witkoff called Starmer’s plan "simplistic" and a "posture and a pose." He said he does not believe that Russia wants to further invade Europe or even absorb all of Ukraine.
"There is this sort of notion that we have all got to be like Winston Churchill. Russians are going to march across Europe. That is preposterous by the way," he told Carlson.
Starmer has called for countries to join a "coalition of the willing" that will include "planes in the air and boots on the ground" in an effort to secure a successful ceasefire in Ukraine. He stressed that the coalition would need "strong U.S. backing" to succeed.
Over 30 countries have expressed willingness to contribute to the coalition's peacekeeping force, Starmer's spokesperson said on March 17, confirming that the initiative has moved into an "operational phase."
Witkoff, who is officially special envoy to the Middle East, has recently emerged as a leading figure in negotiations regarding Russia and Ukraine and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.
In the interview with Carlson, he applauded U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate with Russia, saying that he is optimistic about "bringing the two sides together."
He also praised Putin as being gracious, adding that he doesn’t regard the Russian leader and war criminal as a "bad guy."
Witkoff went on to echo Russian propaganda narratives around referendums in the occupied regions in Ukraine, claiming that people there want to be under Russian rule. He left out that the referendums were a sham and carried out at gunpoint while also forgetting the names of the partially occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
He later told Fox News that he is not taking any sides but that there is a belief in Russia that the occupied territories are now considered Russian.
Witkoff repeatedly cheered on Trump’s 30-day temporary ceasefire agreement. Both Moscow and Kyiv agreed to stop targeting energy infrastructure for a month, although it has been repeatedly violated and dozens of Ukrainian civilians have been killed in Russian attacks over the last few days.
He said that the purpose of the 30-day ceasefire was to give time to negotiate a full ceasefire. U.S. representatives will meet with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on the evening of March 23 and then with Russian officials on March 24 to discuss the ceasefire.
The U.K. will host three days of military planning sessions this week to prepare high-level plans for mobilizing the coalition.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Natalia Yermak
