"(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.
A ship in the Black Sea near Odesa, Ukraine on Nov. 9, 2023. (Yulii Zozulia / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The United States is "looking at" lifting additional sanctions on Russia in order to secure a Black Sea ceasefire agreement, U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 25.
Trump's comments come following talks between Russia and the U.S. in Saudi Arabia.
Russia and the U.S. agreed to implement a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a ban on strikes against energy infrastructure. To secure an agreement, the White House initially vowed to help restore Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.
The Kremlin later issued a statement on March 25, stating that the ceasefire in the Black Sea will take effect only after Western sanctions on Russia's Rosselkhozbank and other financial organizations involved in supporting international food trade operations are lifted and have their connection to the SWIFT messaging system restored.
"They will be looking at them and we are thinking about all of them right now. There are about five or six conditions. We're looking at all of them," Trump told reporters in response to a question on the possibility of lifting additional Russian sanctions.
Moscow is also demanding that the West lift the sanctions on Russian food producers and exporters, as well as on Russian-flagged ships involved in food and fertilizer trade. Another condition for the ceasefire is that commercial ships in the Black Sea should be inspected, according to the Kremlin.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists that Ukraine believes that the partial ceasefire for the Black Sea and energy infrastructure strikes should take effect on March 25, at odds with the Kremlin's statement.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
