Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said Ukraine would not adhere to a three-day ceasefire proposed by Russia, saying such a short truce would not help in negotiations for a lasting peace.
Ukraine in March accepted a proposal from the Trump administration for a 30-day ceasefire, to be followed by talks on matters including the location of an armistice line, steps to safeguard a nuclear power plant occupied by the Russian army and deployment of a possible European peacekeeping force.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian president told reporters in Kyiv that the Russian counter-offer of a three-day ceasefire covering the anniversary of the end of the second World War in Europe, an important political holiday in Russia, was merely a “theatrical show”.
He said Russia’s offer was intended to “create a soft atmosphere of an exit from isolation” for Russian president Vladimir Putin and to assuage security worries of foreign leaders and dignitaries attending a Victory Day parade in Moscow on Friday. Chinese president Xi Jinping has accepted an invitation to attend the parade.
VE Day: Britain takes a break from its troubles to celebrate 80th anniversary
Kilmar Abrego Garcia: The story of the ‘mistakenly deported Maryland man’
Mitsotakis basks in Trump’s praise as Greek exporters fear US tariff ‘butterfly effect’
‘I’m scared of being terminated’: Domestic workers in Hong Kong vulnerable to exploitation
“We are simply either at war, or Putin shows he is ready to stop shooting as a first step to ending the war,” Zelenskiy said. Ukraine’s offer of a 30-day truce remained on the table, he said, saying Ukraine would be willing to start that truce before the holiday if Russia accepted it.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine has designed and manufactured a growing fleet of exploding long-range drones capable of striking Moscow and it has repeatedly targeted the Russian capital.
Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine would offer no safety guarantees to guests at the Red Square parade Friday, as Russia has carried on missile strikes on Ukraine despite visits by foreign leaders to Kyiv.
Last week, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, aired a more direct threat, saying guests to the parade should “bring earplugs”.
The spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, responded that Zelenskiy’s comments were a “direct threat” to Russia’s celebration. The deputy head of Russia’s security council, Dmitry Medvedev, threatened retaliation for any attacks during the anniversary ceremonies, writing in a post on Telegram that, “in the event of a real provocation on Victory Day, nobody guarantees Kyiv will see May 10″.
The rejection of Russia’s offer comes as Zelenskiy has found himself on somewhat surer ground with the Trump administration in ceasefire talks, mending relations after a disastrous Oval Office shouting match in February. He has taken pains to point out that Ukraine accepted the administration’s proposed ceasefire followed by substantive talks, while Russia has not.
Though its advances on the battlefield have slowed to a crawl amid staggering casualties, Russia is still seen as having momentum in the war and would lose leverage if fighting halted for any significant period.
Donald Trump last month expressed frustration with Russian foot-dragging in talks and bombardments of Ukrainian cities that have killed scores of civilians, posting on social media, “Vladimir STOP!” after a missile strike in Kyiv killed 12 people and wounded dozens.
In his comments Saturday, Zelenskiy praised the change of tone in a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the funeral of Pope Francis last month, calling it his “best conversation” yet with the US president.
As the two sat face-to-face at the Vatican, he said, he had broached a US resumption of the provision of air defence weapons to Ukraine and suggested that the United States impose additional sanctions on Russia. “I won’t speak of the details, but what he told me sounded strong,” Zelenskiy said.
On Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the United States would step back as a mediator in the talks, which have yielded only limited commitments to reduce air strikes on energy infrastructure and an earlier, one-day ceasefire on Easter Sunday that both sides accused the other of violating.
“We certainly will remain committed to it and will help where we can,” Bruce said of the search for peace. But, she said, “we are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat to mediate meetings.” The negotiations, she said, would depend on Russia and Ukraine presenting “concrete ideas about how this conflict is going to end. It’s going to be up to them”.
On Saturday, Zelenskiy suggested the United States would step back after a ceasefire was achieved. He said that “apparently, after an agreement on a ceasefire, some countries would like us to remain one-on-one with the Russians”.
In response to a question about the prospect of the Trump administration walking away from talks, Zelenskiy said he expected European nations to play a role. The Europeans, he said, would “be nearby.” – The New York Times
