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."
"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.
Chairman of Ukraine's parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. (Ukraine's Presidential Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 25 he was confident that Ukraine would become a full member of the European Union.
The first intergovernmental conference on Ukraine's accession was held in Luxembourg on 25 June, marking the official beginning of accession negotiations between the European Union and Ukraine.
The launch of the talks follows an agreement by EU ambassadors last week. Officials in Kyiv and Brussels had been pushing for the June starting date before Hungary takes over from Belgium as the EU chair the following month.
"As of today, we have full confidence — Ukraine will definitely become a full member of the European Union," Zelensky said in his evening address.
"Now, the focus is on the technical work between Ukraine and the EU, adapting our system to the EU, and Europe's political will to make the European project truly complete."
Intergovernmental conferences are the format in which Ukraine and representatives of all EU countries will work on parts of the future accession agreement, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Ukraine should continue working on reforms to strengthen the rule of law and the protection of human rights, focusing on judicial reform, the fight against corruption, and the protection of ethnic minorities, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said at the conference.
"According to the approved negotiating framework, we will go through all the sections of our relations and reach an agreement on each of them," Shmyhal said.
Ukraine received EU candidate status in June 2022. The European Commission recommended launching accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova in November 2023, and the European Council agreed on it a month later.
The commission then presented the negotiation framework and said the two countries were ready to begin the talks by the end of June.
Despite the agreement, Ukraine's entry into the EU most likely remains years away. Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, said last month that Kyiv could join the bloc in 2030.
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