'I think they're idiots': Zelenskyy condemns Russia's 2-3 day ceasefire proposal
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Russia's proposal for a 2-3 day ceasefire to retrieve the dead from the battlefield. A truce should be meant to prevent people from being killed, he stressed during a conversation with journalists.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine has not changed its agenda — an unconditional ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners, the return of children, the return of civilians, and then a meeting of the leaders.
"And in principle, they don't even envision a real ceasefire. They said they're ready for a 2-3 day pause to collect the dead from the battlefield. I think they're idiots. Because a ceasefire is meant to prevent people from being killed," the president stated.
According to him, for the Russians, it's merely a brief pause in the war.
"That's why we want our American partners to take firm action by advancing the sanctions package in the Senate — to pressure Russia into a ceasefire through tough sanctions. They don't understand any other language right now. We believe this is fair. It's already been five months since the US signaled support for a ceasefire, and we support that," Zelenskyy added.
He stressed that Russia's proposal for a 2-3 day ceasefire is nothing more than rhetorical play.
"Comrade Medinsky — as I've said from the beginning — is not someone at the right level. They don't even understand the technicalities. On the battlefield, soldiers often exchange the bodies of fallen troops. That happens. And everyone knows that during such exchanges, no one fires at each other," the head of state emphasized.
He pointed out that this cannot be called a true ceasefire, as fighting continues in other areas, and civilians are still being attacked.
"Why are they doing this? Just like with prisoner exchanges — which are very important for us — they understand that. And they're using it to feed the Americans, to delay their decision on sanctions, to keep them from imposing what should have already been done. That's why it's crucial to stress: if the Istanbul talks don't move forward on a ceasefire, the US must respond with sanctions," Zelenskyy emphasized.
Russia's proposal
During the negotiations in Istanbul, Russia proposed a 2–3 day ceasefire to Ukraine. Moscow specified that the truce would not apply to the entire front line.
"We proposed a specific ceasefire for two to three days in certain sections of the front… What's the purpose of such a short truce, including disabling drones and so on? So that commanders can retrieve the bodies of their fallen soldiers," said Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation.
According to the Russian official, Ukrainian forces allegedly agreed to consider the proposal.
For several months, Russia has been refusing a full ceasefire with Ukraine lasting at least 30 days, justifying it by claiming that Western countries could use the pause to reinforce Ukraine.
