"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.
F-16 fighter jets during a military parade on Polish Armed Forces Day in Warsaw, Poland on Aug. 15, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A new shipment of Western F-16 fighter jets has arrived in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed to journalists on March 19.
The president stated that several F-16s had arrived but did not reveal the exact number of jets delivered.
"Additional F-16s have arrived in Ukraine. The Russians lied that they shot down something there, they didn't shoot anything down. And the good news is that several F-16 aircraft have arrived in Ukraine," Zelensky told reporters during a briefing, RBC Ukraine reported.
Earlier in the day Russian media claimed that an F-16 jets was downed in Sumy Oblast, a claim that Ukraine's Air Force denied.
Zelensky did not specify from where the jets were delivered from.
Ukraine has been requesting F-16s since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with the first jets arriving in August 2024 after approval from several Western countries.
Several countries have contributed F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine's defense efforts, with the Netherlands — who announced the continued deployment of F-16s to Ukraine — playing a significant role by committing 24 F-16s.
Denmark has pledged 19 F-16s, with initial deliveries made in 2024, while Norway has promised between 6 and 22 aircraft. Belgium has also announced its intention to supply F-16s, though the exact number remains undisclosed.
F-16s are used in both offensive and defensive operations. The aircraft have been used for intercepting Russian missiles and drones during aerial strikes against Ukraine. They could also be deployed to launch missiles and bombs at Russian positions along the front line.
Martin Fornusek
