Ukraine ready for ceasefire starting May 7, but for 30 days – Zelenskyy
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire with Russia but insists on a 30-day term following the United States strategy, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters.
“An unconditional ceasefire is a model proposed by the Americans. We are following it. From this date or another - preferably earlier. Yes, let's try for 30 days. Why a 30-day ceasefire? Because it is impossible to agree on anything in three, five, seven days,” the president said.
Zelenskyy called the ceasefire proposed by Russian president Vladimir Putin for three days on May 7-10 a “theater performance.” He emphasizes that it is impossible to develop any plan for the next steps to end the war in two or three days.
“Playing to give Putin a soft atmosphere of coming out of isolation on May 9, and to make everyone feel comfortable, safe - those leaders, or friends, or partners of Putin who will come to Kremlin Square on May 9 for one reason or another - no one will help Putin. We are simply either at war or Putin is showing that he is ready for a ceasefire, for the first part of the end of the war. We are ready to start from the 1st, from the 3rd, from the 5th. If he needs the date of the 7th, we don't care. From the 7th - 30 days,” Zelenskyy says.
He added that it is impossible to achieve a complete ceasefire without its monitoring.
Putin's truce for May 9
Earlier, Vladimir Putin declared a ceasefire from May 7 to 10 in honor of Victory Day, which is celebrated in Russia.
Ukraine does not believe in Putin's truce because, during the Easter ceasefire, Russia did not completely stop shelling and attacks on the frontline.
On May 9, Moscow will host a large parade to mark Victory Day. Putin invited some European leaders to the parade. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said they would travel to Moscow on May 9. Moreover, the Serbian military will take part in the parade.
