Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
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."
A Russian military aircraft captured in a photo shared by Swedish Air Force on April 9, 2024. (Swedish Air Force/X)
The Swedish Air Force, together with German fighter jets, intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft near the Swedish coast, the Swedish military announced on April 9.
"Today, our incident route carried out the visual identification of a Russian Il-20 (signals reconnaissance) that flew into the Swedish flight information region southeast of Blekinge," the statement reads. "VID was carried out together with 2 German Eurofighters on stand-by from NATO, which took off from Laage in Germany."
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has periodically spilled westward over the course of two years, with Russian missiles entering NATO members' airspace.
Earlier this month, Germany's Air Force saidit had scrambled its fighter jets to intercept a Russian Il-20 aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea without a transponder—an electronic device that helps maintain safe air traffic.
The war has kept Western nations on alert, redeploying more aircraft, ships, and troops to safeguard NATO's eastern flank in the alliance's member-states that neighbor Ukraine – including the Baltic states and Poland.
In March, Poland said it had scrambled its fighter jets when a Russian missile violated its air space for 39 seconds but did not shoot it down as it knew that the missile would circle back to Ukraine, and it could have posed a danger to civilians.
A week later, Polish and other allied aircraft were scrambled in response to reports of a massive Russian missile attack against Ukraine.
In February, the French armed forces said that a French Mirage 2000D fighter jet had intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft off the Estonian coast.
In January, the German Air Force also said it had intercepted a Russian military aircraft flying in international airspace near Rugen –a German island in the Baltic Sea – and "briefly accompanied it before it turned back to the east." It added that the Russian aircraft was flying without a transponder signal.
Dinara Khalilova
