Responding to Putin’s new Victory Day truce proposal, Zelenskyy said he had instructed members of his team to get more details on what exactly was on the table, saying Ukraine ultimately wanted to end the war.
He said: “We will clarify what exactly this is about – a few hours of security for a parade in Moscow, or something more.
“Our proposal is a long-term ceasefire, reliable and guaranteed security for people, and a lasting peace. Ukraine is ready to work toward this in any dignified and effective format.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the overarching idea was for the ceasefire to last for Victory Day itself, May 9, but that the precise timings would be determined by Putin.
The United States has spearheaded efforts to bring Russia’s invasion to a close through a negotiated settlement, but those efforts – already fraught with major divisions – have been derailed by fighting in the Middle East.
The Kremlin’s call for a short halt in fighting came several weeks after the warring countries agreed an Easter truce that was marred by allegations of violations by both sides.
Zelenskyy’s response to Putin’s ceasefire proposal came as Moscow’s forces killed two people in the southern city of Kherson, and in the Dnipropetrovsk region, local officials said.
Twenty more people were wounded in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, the head of the region said.
The invasion of Ukraine, launched by Russia in February 2022, has become the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions.
– AFP