"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.
Ukraine's Olga Kharlan (L) celebrates with teammates and Ukrainian flag after winning in the women's sabre team gold medal bout between South Korea and Ukraine during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Aug. 3, 2024. (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine's women's saber fencing team won the country's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3, defeating South Korea with a score of 45-42 in the finals.
Ukraine's five-time Olympic medalist Olga Kharlan, along with fencers Olena Kravatska, Alina Komashchuk, and Yuliia Bakastova, made their way to the Olympic finals by beating Italy and Japan.
"Thank you for the result, for your character, for the fact that Ukrainians are winning!" President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the match.
"We are cheering for ours and supporting them with the whole country. Ukraine knows how to inspire at the Olympic Games, even in times like these."
Gold medalists of Ukraine's team Olena Kravatska, Alina Komashchuk, Olga Kharlan and Yuliia Bakastova celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women's sabre team competition during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Aug. 3, 2024. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
Kharlan won Ukraine's first Olympic medal in the 2024 games, defeating South Korea's Choi Sebin on July 29. The gold makes her Ukraine's most decorated Olympian in history by medal count, six in total. Swimmer Yana Klochkova, who retired in 2008, has five Olympic medals.
Ukraine has so far won three medals at the Paris Olympics. Shooter Serhii Kulish took silver in the 50m rifle three-position event.
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak defeated Brazilian Wanderley Pereira in the 80-kilogram weight category quarterfinals. Khyzhniak has secured a spot in the semifinals, guaranteeing him at least a bronze medal, as the Olympic regulations stipulate that there is no third-place match.
Kateryna Hodunova
