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.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Ukraine's Presidential Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a bill authorizing a major tax increase on Nov. 28, following more than a month of delay.
The bill, which was passed by the Ukrainian parliament on Oct. 10, will raise taxes by Hr 8 billion ($192 million) in 2024 and Hr 141 billion ($3.4 billion) in 2025, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said, as the country struggles to shore up its budget deficit amid Russia's ongoing full-scale war.
The law is expected to come into effect on Dec. 1.
One of the provisions of the bill is an increase of the military tax — a sum levied from citizens to support the war effort — from 1.5% to 5%.
An amendment to the legislation left the military tax for military personnel at 1.5%.
The bill also introduces a military tax for self-employed persons and increases profit taxes for banks to 50% for 2024 and other financial institutions from 18% to 25% since January next year.
Zelensky also signed a bill on the state budget for 2025, passed by the parliament on Nov. 19.
All taxes of citizens and businesses will be directed to Ukraine's defense and security, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The state expects to get Hr 2 trillion ($48.2 billion) in revenues, while expenditures are planned at Hr 3.6 trillion ($86.8 billion) in 2025. The budget envisages spending Hr 2.2 trillion ($53 billion) on Ukraine's defense, which is 26.3% of the country's projected gross domestic product (GDP).
Shmyhal said in August that Ukraine faces a budget deficit of $35 billion next year, though foreign partners have pledged to cover roughly $20 billion of that sum.
The proposed tax increase is part of an effort to find additional sources of funding at home, which may also include increased domestic borrowing and measures to boost the number of jobs and wages.
Despite the dire budgetary situation, the bill has received criticism due to its potential repercussions on already difficult living conditions in the country.
Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly
