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 Zelensky and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa during a press conference on June 16, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Vitalii Nosach / Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit South Africa on April 10 to meet with the country's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and discuss efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on March 7.
"The visit is a continuation of ongoing engagements held by President Ramaphosa with President Putin and President Zelensky on an inclusive peace process that will provide a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine," said Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
South Africa, the continent's largest economy, has maintained a neutral stance in the war while deepening its economic and political ties with Moscow. The country is a member of the BRICS group alongside Russia and China and conducted joint naval drills with both nations while resisting Western calls to distance itself from the Kremlin.
Ramaphosa previously led a peace initiative in 2023 alongside leaders from five other African nations, but the effort failed to yield concrete results. During a visit to Kyiv on June 16, 2023, he presented a 10-point peace plan as part of the African Peace Mission.
Zelensky's rare upcoming visit is part of a diplomatic outreach to Africa as Kyiv seeks broader global support before upcoming peace negotiations.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
