Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had “not received any official or unofficial proposals” for a ceasefire on May 9 from either the United States or Russia. According to him, Russia is seeking a ceasefire on May 9 because of fears of possible Ukrainian attacks on the parade in Moscow.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported this to Bloomberg.
“Many countries, including Ukraine, commemorate those who died in World War II on May 8. It remains unclear what terms Putin has in mind for a ceasefire,” Zelensky said.
The president believes that Russia seeks a one- or several-day ceasefire, mainly to protect its annual military parade in Moscow from potential Ukrainian strikes.
“They want the parade to pass peacefully for a few hours, and then resume attacks. We do not want any ceasefire to become a tactical deception on the part of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said.
At the same time, he said he supports ceasefire initiatives that help protect civilians and facilitate prisoner exchanges. “We always respond positively to genuine ceasefire proposals with Russia, if they exist,” he said.
On April 29, Kremlin leader Putin had an hour and a half phone conversation with US President Donald Trump. They talked, in particular, about the Russian leader's readiness to declare a “truce” for the period of May 9.
Trump also said during a briefing following the conversation that he had offered Putin “a little ceasefire” and added that he thought he could do it. Trump also said that he thought Putin had been ready to make a deal for a long time, but “some people made it difficult for him to make a deal.”