"(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.
Crimean Tatars carry a large Crimean Tatar flag at a rally during the Crimean Tatar Flag Day celebration in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 26 June, 2020. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The United States is prepared to recognize Russia’s control over Crimea as part of a broader peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, Bloomberg reported on April 18, citing people familiar with the matter.
The potential concession signals President Donald Trump’s desire to secure a ceasefire deal. Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated on April 18 that the administration may abandon its peace-brokering efforts if negotiations fail to progress soon.
In late February 2014, Russian troops without military insignia invaded Ukraine's Crimea. Through much of February, Russia had quietly increased its troop presence on the peninsula. They blocked off airports in Sevastopol and Simferopol and seized the Crimean Parliament building.
They also blocked Ukrainian military bases located on the peninsula. Ukrainian troops didn't receive an order to shoot at Russian troops.
In March 2014, the Russian-controlled Crimean parliament voted to hold a "referendum" to join Russia. The sham voting on annexation was conducted in the absence of any international observers and with armed Russian soldiers present at polling locations.
The so-called results were announced by Russian occupation authorities on March 16, 2014, in which the Russian government claimed that 97 percent of voters were in favor of annexation. Numerous international reports proved that the results were fabricated.
Recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea would mark a significant win for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long pushed for international legitimacy over the territory.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said Ukraine will not cede any part of its territory to Russia. Putin has so far rejected Trump’s broader peace proposal.
The sources said no final decision has been made. A U.S. official familiar with the negotiations declined to comment on the possibility of recognizing Crimea, citing the sensitivity of the ongoing talks.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Kateryna Denisova
