Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"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.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob meets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on March 31, 2023. (Slovenian government via Twitter)
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a joint declaration on March 31 supporting Ukraine’s move toward EU and NATO membership.
Slovenia is the ninth country to sign the declaration of support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, after the Czech Republic, Belgium, Montenegro, Lithuania, Poland, Italy, Latvia and Iceland.
Zelensky discussed defense assistance with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob earlier in the day, during which the president thanked Slovenia for its military help and discussed the reconstruction of Zhytomyr and Kharkiv oblasts, heavily damaged by Russian attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the prime ministers of Slovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia on March 31 following a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the liberation of Bucha, a town now synonymous with Russian war crimes against civilians.
Earlier in the day, the leaders, along with Moldovan President Maia Sandu brought candles to a church in Bucha to honor the memory of Russia’s war victims.
Bucha, a small city near Kyiv, was occupied by Russian troops shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. After it was liberated, mass graves were discovered, and thousands of war crimes were documented.
According to estimates, Russian troops killed over 1,400 people, including 37 children, in Bucha over 33 days of occupation and committed over 9,000 war crimes.
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The Kyiv Independent news desk
