"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.
Polish President Andrzej Duda delivers an address at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, on March 24, 2023. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
One of the main priorities of Poland's EU presidency next year will be the accession efforts of Ukraine, Moldova, and Western Balkan countries, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on May 1, RMF 24 reported.
Poland will chair the EU Council between January and June 2025, taking over the six-month presidency of Hungary.
The European bloc granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova in June 2022, and EU leaders agreed last December to open accession talks with the two aspiring members.
Speaking in the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Duda said the accession process "will be our priority next year under our presidency so that these countries can become full members of the European Union as soon as possible."
"Ukraine is struggling with Russian aggression. We deeply believe that this aggression will be repelled, Ukraine will be able to enjoy its sovereignty again and will be able to start developing again," the Polish president said.
"This means a very difficult and expensive reconstruction process, and Ukraine alone will probably not be able to accomplish it. We want to help. We believe that our entire community should participate in the process of rebuilding Ukraine," he added.
Duda also suggested that during its presidency, Poland should host two European summits: one between the EU and the U.S. and the other between the EU and Ukraine, with a focus on Kyiv's reconstruction efforts and European integration.
While Ukraine's accession talks have not yet begun, the EU has already started screening the country's legislation, one of the first steps necessary for the process. Kyiv hopes to receive a framework for the membership negotiations in June.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Alexander Query
