"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.
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.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) building is seen in Washington D.C., United States, on Dec. 26, 2022. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
During a meeting in Warsaw, a mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ukrainian officials reached a staff-level agreement on Feb. 17 on Ukraine's compliance with the Program Monitoring with Board Involvement (PMB).
The discussion also focused on technical and policy issues related to Ukraine's medium-term macroeconomic and structural policies.
"Due to the joint efforts of the government of Ukraine and the National Bank of Ukraine, all end-December quantitative and indicative targets have been met, as have all five end-January structural benchmarks," Gavin Gray, the head of the IMF mission, said.
The Ukrainian government is working towards specific targets such as drafting a set of tax laws to increase revenue, addressing arrears through measures taken by the Finance Ministry, developing a social safety net plan, establishing a supervisory board for Naftogaz, and agreeing on key elements related to banking sector diagnostics.
Gray added both the public and private sectors would have important roles to play in Ukraine's post-war recovery to ensure the country's progress toward EU accession.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
