"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.
Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on the TV program Porta a Porta in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 18, 2023. (Massimo Di Vita/Archivio Massimo Di Vita/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto ruled out sending troops to Ukraine in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, published on May 4.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in late February that sending Western troops to Ukraine cannot be "ruled out" in the future. The U.S. and many European allies have distanced themselves from his statement.
Macron reiterated this idea in May, saying that he would consider sending troops in the case of a Russian breakthrough at the front or if Ukraine requested it.
Crosetto said that he does not understand the purpose of Macron's statements, adding that the discussion around the possible deployment of Western troops in Ukraine "increases tensions."
"Our position does not change: we have always said that Ukraine needs help in every possible way, and we are doing it, but we have also always ruled out direct intervention of our military in the conflict," the minister said.
Italy's law prohibits direct military intervention, according to Crosetto. Rome can only consider armed intervention under an international mandate, such as the UN, the minister said.
"The scenario envisioned in Ukraine not only does not fit this case, but it would also ignite a further escalation of the conflict, particularly to the detriment of the Ukrainians themselves. In essence, there are no conditions for our direct involvement," Crosetto said.
Macron's remarks sparked a lively discussion among allies, with many NATO members, including Germany and the U.S., rejecting the possibility of sending Western troops to fight against Russia in Ukraine.
Other countries, such as Estonia and the Czech Republic, said that the deployment of troops, for example for non-combat tasks, should not be completely ruled out.
Kyiv has not appealed to the West to send troops to Ukraine, instead asking for increased arms supplies to help Ukrainian soldiers fend off Russian aggression.
Roland Freudenstein
