Kremlin furious after Zelenskyy allows May 9 parade to go ahead
Dmitry Peskov (Photo: Getty Images)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov decided to respond to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's permission to hold a parade in Moscow on May 9. He claims that Russia does not need anyone's permission, according to Russian media.
Read also: Trump announces three-day ceasefire and prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia
"We don't need anyone's permission. Woe to anyone who tries to joke about Victory Day and make such stupid jokes. That is probably his great misfortune. But we don't need anyone's permission to be proud of our Victory Day," Peskov said.
He also added that the extension of the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine until May 11 is an initiative of US President Donald Trump.
What preceded this
Last week, Kremlin head Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, during which he declared his readiness to announce a ceasefire with Ukraine on May 9. Soon after, the Russian Defense Ministry officially announced a ceasefire on May 8 and 9.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided not to wait for that date and proposed starting a silence regime as early as the night of May 6, which Russia promptly violated. In response, Kyiv acted reciprocally, so on the night of May 8, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Rostov, and others were attacked.
On the evening of May 8, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire with Russia from May 9 to 11. He noted that for Kyiv, the lives of Ukrainian prisoners are more important, so he issued a decree allowing the parade to take place in Moscow's Red Square. Regarding prisoners, Russia agreed to conduct an exchange in a 1000-for-1000 format.
An RBC-Ukraine source confirmed that Zelenskyy had excluded the location of the parade in Moscow from Ukraine's strike plan. However, regarding the rest of Russian territory, Ukraine will act reciprocally.
