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.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks to media at the end of an EU Summit meeting in the Europa, the EU Council headquarter on December 19, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview published on Jan. 5 that those responsible for pressuring Kyiv to sign the Budapest Memorandum should be jailed, and signatory countries who gave security assurances "didn’t give a s**t" about Ukraine.
Speaking in the interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman, Zelensky said Ukraine tried multiple times to have the terms of the agreement enforced but received no responses.
The Budapest Memorandum was signed on Dec. 5, 1994, and saw Ukraine sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and give up nuclear weapons left on its territory after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In exchange, Kyiv received security assurances from the U.S., the U.K., and Russia. China and France gave weaker assurances at the same time. All countries agreed to engage in varying levels of consultations in the event of Ukraine's territorial integrity being threatened.
Twenty years after signing the agreement, Russia launched a war against Ukraine, occupying Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine. Thirty years in, Russia is now actively conducting a full-scale offensive against Ukraine.
In the interview with Fridman, Zelensky said Ukrainian officials requested consultations three times over several years from the start of Russia’s aggression in 2014.
"Everyone should be in consultation. Everyone must come. Everyone must meet urgently, the U.S., Britain, Russia, France, China," he said.
"Did anyone come, you ask? No. Did anyone reply to these letters, official letters? They are all recorded by diplomats. Did anyone conduct consultations?
Zelensky said Ukraine was pressured into signing the Budapest Memorandum, and those who came up with the agreement should be jailed.
"We were under the pressure of the U.S. and Russia for Ukraine to give up (nuclear weapons). These two powers were exerting pressure," he said.
"These two states negotiated to ensure that Ukraine does not have nuclear weapons. Ukraine agreed. Now we just need to find these people, and we just need to put in jail all of those who, frankly, invented all this."
Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum, an occasion Zelensky remarked on during his evening address on Dec. 5.
"Today marks 30 years of the Budapest Memorandum. Ten years of war. Not a single day did this document work," Zelensky said at the time.
"And because of this, everyone in the world will now know that a mere signature — by any state — or any assurances or promises are not enough for security."
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.
Oleg Sukhov
