"(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.
Soldiers of the 58th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian army wait for a lift to position in LAV M113 as Russian attacks on the city of Vuhledar continue in Donetsk Oblast on Dec. 1, 2023. (Andre Alves/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The possibility of a collapse of Ukraine's army "cannot be ruled out" and Ukraine is at its "most fragile moment in over two years of war," according to U.S. officials, Bloomberg reported on April 11.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with CBS News that a new major Russian offensive may come at the end of May or in June.
According to the official, who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, the U.S. "doesn't see any signs of an imminent breakthrough by Russian forces."
Ukraine is, however, at its "most fragile moment in over two years of war, according to Western officials with knowledge of the situation," Bloomberg said.
Meanwhile, Russia has largely replaced its heavy battlefield losses in Ukraine, and at a much faster pace than anticipated, U.S. General Christopher Cavoli warned on April 11.
"Russia is reconstituting that force far faster than our initial estimates suggested," Cavoli wrote in a statement to Congress. "The army is actually now larger — by 15 percent — than it was when it invaded Ukraine."
A key risk is a collapse of Ukraine's defenses, which would give Russia an "opening to make a major advance for the first time since the initial stages of the conflict," Bloomberg said, citing talks with multiple officials.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 12 that the government has allocated an additional Hr 3.88 billion (almost $100 million) for the construction of fortifications, primarily in Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts, which border Russia.
The Ukrainian government already allocated Hr 20 billion ($512 million) for building fortifications in 2024, Shymhal said in January.
The Wall Street Journal reported in March that although Ukrainian troops are building fortifications in expectation of another Russian offensive, there are concerns that the progress is not fast enough.
Alexander Khrebet
