Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
The visit marks Merz’s first trip to Ukraine, and the first time all four leaders have travelled there together.
"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."
The number includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"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.
The sanctions list includes 58 individuals and 74 companies, with 67 Russian enterprises related to military technology.
Zelensky: Russia could invade Kharkiv

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a Washington Post interview on Jan. 20 that he believes Russia could occupy Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv and thus start a large-scale war.
"If Russia decides to enhance their escalation, of course they are going to do this on those territories where historically there are people who used to have family links to Russia," said Zelensky. "Kharkiv, which is under Ukrainian government control, could be occupied."
Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city, with a population of 1.4 million.
Zelensky's remarks contrast sharply with his televised address to the Ukrainian public on Jan. 19, in which he assured his citizens that the situation was "under control," and that the threat of a full-scale invasion was no higher than it had been during the last eight years of war with Russia, which invaded Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and parts of Donbas in 2014.
"These risks have long existed. They didn’t increase. What increased is the craze (in the news). Our land is not being under attack now — but your nerves are. They’re trying to make you feel anxiety all the time," Zelensky said on Jan. 19, a far cry from his remarks to the Washington Post the next day.
When asked by the Washington Post if U.S. President Joe Biden had given Ukraine enough military assistance to protect the country from Russia, Zelensky said no. He did however acknowledge that support from the Biden administration was "stronger than it was before."
On Jan. 19, Biden admitted during a press conference that the Western response to Russia would likely be less severe in the case of a "minor incursion" into Ukraine. Zelensky responded on Twitter, writing that there was "no such thing as minor incursions," without directly addressing Biden.
Biden rowed back on his comments the next day, saying that any Russian units moving across Ukrainian border would be an invasion, and provoke a response.
Fears of a further Russian invasion of Ukraine have been building for months, as Russia gradually massed troops and military equipment near Ukraine's borders, currently numbering an estimated 122,000 men.
Taras Chmut, head of the Ukrainian Military Center think-tank, told the Kyiv Independent that a large-scale escalation involving the capture of Kharkiv, among other key targets, seemed possible.
"We can see concrete intellegence which shows signs of a possible escalation of the war into a full-scale phase, which could include the occupation of more territory," he said.
Chmut added that any Russian territorial occupation would be made difficult by widespread guerilla resistance.
"It's one thing to destroy Ukraine's military and governance structures, but it's an altogether different matter to neutralise every man or woman who is ready to resist."
"There will be tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of them."
Meanwhile, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov called for calm, saying that there was "no cause for concern" and that he would not allow any outside force to take the city.
"Anyone who seeks to capture Kharkiv must understand that not only every Kharkivite, but also every Ukrainian will rise to defend our beloved city."
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