"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 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.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) next to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff before a meeting in Paris on April 17, 2025. (Ludovic Marin / AFP via Getty Images)
The U.S. shared a draft concept for monitoring a potential ceasefire in Ukraine with European and Ukrainian officials in Paris, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on April 18, citing an unnamed Western official.
The draft concept was reportedly shared during meetings in Paris on April 17, where European, Ukrainian, and U.S. officials gathered to discuss a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine.
According to an official that spoke to the WSJ, the U.S. indicated that it has developed a draft concept for how a comprehensive ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia might be monitored if one can be achieved.
The official did not share details on the content of the draft.
Members of the France and U.K.-led "coalition of the willing" have urged the U.S. to back European assurance forces with additional security guarantees in order to effectively deter further Russian aggression after a ceasefire. Thus far, the U.S. has not offered any such guarantees, and until the Paris talks had largely shut Europe out of ceasefire negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.
Participants in the talks included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Ukraine was represented by Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
While the details of the monitoring plan were not disclosed, Yermak described the meetings as "very substantive." Meanwhile, Rubio acknowledged the issue of security guarantees had been discussed, but did not want to speak publicly about any proposals.
European, Ukrainian, and U.S. officials will meet in London next week to continue the discussions.
Kateryna Denisova
