Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said that the authorities of his country have not received any official proposals for a ceasefire on May 9, and the statements of Russian representatives on this subject are another attempt to curry favor with the US administration, the Interfax-Ukraine agency reported on Saturday.
Sybiha said Russia's alleged ceasefire proposals are yet another manipulation.
“This is another attempt by the Russians to please the Americans. To show some element of constructiveness. The President of Ukraine (Volodymyr Zelensky) clearly said that to this day the Ukrainian side has not received any proposals from them,” he emphasized.
The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that his country remains committed to peace efforts and has repeatedly declared its readiness for an unconditional ceasefire. He said that now the focus should be on how to end Russia's aggressive war and achieve a lasting ceasefire.
“And all these manipulative truces, which are later not respected by the same people who initiate them – the Russians – are an attempt at a vulgar diplomatic maneuver. Secondly, it is a PR campaign aimed at the internal audience (…),” Sybiha said.
On Thursday, President Zelensky announced on the X platform that he had instructed his representatives to contact US President Donald Trump's team to clarify details regarding Russia's proposal for a short-term ceasefire.
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine proposes “a long-term ceasefire, guaranteeing solid security (for the country's inhabitants) and lasting peace.” At the same time, he added, it should be considered whether Russia only wants a truce for the duration of the parade in Moscow on the occasion of the so-called Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, or “for something more”.
Trump said on Wednesday that he had suggested to Russian leader Vladimir Putin a “small truce” in Ukraine and said Putin might announce such a ceasefire soon. Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, added that the US president believes that an agreement to end the war in Ukraine is imminent.
In Russia, Victory Day commemorates the victory of Stalin's USSR over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War, as in Moscow it is called the part of World War II in which the USSR fought on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition, i.e. the years 1941-1945.
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