"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
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.
"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 U.S. House of Representatives and Capitol Dome on May 28, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
Russia could lower its level of diplomatic relations with the U.S. if confiscated frozen Russian assets are transferred to Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian state-controlled media on April 25.
Earlier this week, the U.S. government passed the REPO Act that would allow the seizure and transfer of frozen Russian assets held in the U.S. to Ukraine. The bill was signed alongside a $95 billion foreign aid bill that included $61 billion for Kyiv.
The U.S. is now the first Western country to adopt legislation green-lighting confiscating frozen Russian assets for Ukraine.
“Of course, there can be no doubt that we are very consistent on this issue," Ryabkov said. "But depending on how the discussion goes further among our opponents, the nature of the response measures will be determined...Lowering the level of diplomatic relations is one of the options."
The majority of the Russian central bank’s assets that were frozen by the European Union and Group of Seven (G7) are held in the EU. The U.S. holds around 5$ billion worth of Russian assets out of the total of $300 billion frozen by Kyiv’s Western and other allies.
While some partners, like the U.S., have been pushing to funnel these funds directly to Kyiv, European countries have been more hesitant, fearing economic and legal pitfalls.
Dominic Culverwell
