"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 President Volodymyr Zelensky gives a press conference in Kyiv on February 26, 2025 (Tetiana Dzhafarova/ AFP)
President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to a special EU summit on March 6 that will be dedicated to "European defense and Ukraine," European Council President Antonio Costa said in an open letter dated Feb. 26.
The agenda for the meeting aims to make "first decisions for the short-term" that will enable Europe "to become more sovereign, more capable and better equipped," Costa said.
The official added that a "major aim" of the summit is to prepare EU countries for "the possible European contribution to the security guarantees that will be necessary to ensure a lasting peace in Ukraine."
The summit comes amid major shifts in U.S.-European relations, with U.S. President Donald Trump sending clear signals that the U.S. expects the continent to take a larger role in the defense of Ukraine against Russia's full-scale invasion.
The recent mineral deal negotiated between the U.S. and Ukraine does not contain specific security guarantees, with Zelensky on Feb. 26 saying they will be discussed in future negotiations.
"The EU and its member states are ready to take more responsibility for Europe's security," Costa said.
"I have invited President Zelensky to come to Brussels on the occasion of the meeting of the European Council to discuss with us the latest developments."
Zelensky will visit Washington on Feb. 28 to sign a minerals agreement, Trump said on Feb. 26. He is also scheduled to visit the European Security Summit in the U.K. on March 2.
The Kyiv Independent
