Ukraine updates: Kyiv says counteroffensive won't end war

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has talked down the idea of a planned counteroffensive being a guaranteed turning point in the war, adding that Ukraine would not stop launching counteroffensives until it has reclaimed all of the territory occupied by Russia.

"Do not consider this counteroffensive as the last one, because we do not know what will come out of it," Kuleba told Germany's Bild newspaper in comments published on Wednesday.

He said if the counteroffensive doesn't achieve Kyiv's goal of liberating all Ukrainian territory, "it means we have to prepare for the next counteroffensive."

Kuleba said Ukraine is still seeking more equipment for its resistance against Russia.

"Because to win the war, you need weapons, weapons and more weapons," he said.

He cited the German arms giant Rheinmetall, which makes the Leopard 2 tank, as "a kind of titan of the arms industry in Europe and probably in the world."

Kuleba also called on Germany to help persuade the United States to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Wednesday, May 10:

EU members talk sanctions

European Union member states began talks on Wednesday morning to impose further sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but an agreement could be a long way off as different countries have differing perspectives on how hard to crack down.

The latest round of sanctions is expected to target Chinese and Iranian firms in particular, as well as to crack down on third countries that have been accused of helping Russia skirt sanctions.

"If we see that goods are going from the European Union to third countries and then end up in Russia, we could propose to the member states to sanction those goods' export," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

"This tool will be a last resort and it will be used cautiously," she added.

Diplomatic sources told the Reuters news agency that the sanctions could also highlight that oil tankers are not allowed to offload on the high seas and must keep their GPS trackers on when entering ports — an apparent attempt to better enforce restrictions on trading Russian oil.

Victory Day parade shows Kremlin's challenges

Russia's scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on Tuesday was a sign of the challenging situation faced by Russian authorities at home, the British Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

Although some 8,000 personnel reportedly participated in the parade, many of these troops were auxiliary, paramilitary forces, and cadets from military training establishments.

Members of the Railway Troops and military police were the only deployable, regular forces to march.

"The make-up of Russia's annual Victory Day Parade in Red Square highlighted the materiel and strategic communications challenges the military is facing 15 months into the war in Ukraine," the ministry said in its daily intelligence update.

The sole tank in the parade was a vintage T-34. Despite heavy losses in Ukraine, the Russian military could have fielded more armored vehicles, according to British intelligence.

"The authorities likely refrained from doing so because they want to avoid domestic criticism about prioritising parades over combat operations," the ministry said.

Russian authorities down drone

Russia shot down an "enemy" drone over the city of Kursk, near the border with Ukraine, the regional governor claimed on Wednesday.

"Debris fell in the village of Tolmachevo. No one was hurt," Roman Starovoyt said on Telegram.

He claimed that the debris damaged a gas pipeline and a house.

Kyiv almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russian territory, but officials recently said that undermining Russia's logistics is part of the preparation for the upcoming counteroffensive.

More DW coverage on Russia's war in Ukraine

Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy has changed the national day commemorating the end of World War II in Europe from May 9 — known as Victory Day in Russia — to May 8, in line with many other European countries. DW asked Ukrainians how they feel about the change.