"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.
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.
Yampil, a bear that was evacuated from a zoo in Donetsk Oblast in 2022, has died after not waking up from anesthesia, Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland announced on July 13.
The Asian black bear was rescued from an abandoned zoo on the outskirts of the village of Yampil in Donetsk Oblast, when Ukrainian forces liberated the village in October 2022.
Yampil was one of the only animals left alive in the park and was found starving, filthy, and close to death.
He was initially housed at a wildlife refuge in Belgium and was then rehomed to Five Sisters Zoo in January 2024.
Five Sisters Zoo said in a statement that a "wonderful new habitat had just been completed for him."
"Prior to the move to his new enclosure this morning, Yampil was anesthetized for further treatment for his health problems, which were worrying the team."
"Sadly, anesthetizing animals always carries risks, and Yampil did not recover from the procedure, and despite the best efforts from our veterinary team, we were unable to resuscitate him," Five Sisters Zoo said.
Five Sisters Zoo has previously rehomed animals from circuses, including lions and European brown bears.
Daria Shulzhenko
