Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
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."
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K., looks around the exhibition at The Tank Museum on April 03, 2025, in Bovington, Dorset. (Finnbarr Webster / Getty Images)
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K., described the joint Ukrainian-U.S. headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, as a "secret weapon" for planning military operations during the war.
"This headquarters has truly become a secret weapon for our partners and me in planning operations and formulating the requirements for their implementation," Zaluzhnyi said in a post on Facebook on April 8, following a March 29 investigation by the New York Times (NYT) into the facility.
Zaluzhnyi said the coordination center initially took shape in April 2022 at the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, before moving to Wiesbaden.
He said the headquarters allowed Ukrainian and NATO planners to assess operational needs in real time and shape logistics accordingly.
"Over time, we realized that we needed a joint operational headquarters with our partners to assess the needs for weapons and equipment based on the planning of operations," he wrote.
Zaluzhnyi said the need became critical in the summer of 2022 when Western partners questioned the utility of some weapons Kyiv was requesting.
The resulting Wiesbaden headquarters, supported by the U.K., enabled the planning of operations, coordination of logistics, and NATO-standard formulation of requirements.
Zaluzhnyi said it helped conduct war games, forecast battlefield needs, and relay supply demands directly to Washington and European capitals.
The NYT report detailed the existence of "Task Force Dragon," an American-led initiative based in Wiesbaden that provided Ukrainian forces with real-time intelligence, including coordinates of Russian military positions — even within Russian territory.
The initiative aimed to counterbalance Russia's advantages in troop numbers and firepower.
Each day, U.S. and Ukrainian officers jointly selected targets, analyzing satellite imagery and intercepted communications and electronic signals to identify Russian deployments, which were then shared with Ukraine's military.
The NYT article also revealed tensions and confusion within the Biden administration after Ukraine sank the Moskva, Russia's Black Sea flagship, in April 2022.
According to the report, American and Ukrainian naval officers were on an intelligence sharing call when the former noticed the ship sinking on radar screens.
"Oh my God. Thanks a lot. Bye," the Ukrainians reportedly replied.
It also reported that Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive toward Melitopol was sidelined in favor of the protracted Bakhmut campaign.
Zaluzhnyi was dismissed as commander-in-chief in February 2024 and replaced by Oleksandr Syrskyi. The move followed months of speculation and media reports citing internal disagreements over Ukraine's war strategy.
The former commander-in-chief assumed the role of Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom on July 11, 2024.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
