The double-edged message sent by Zelensky to Vladimir Putin before May 9: “The parade is allowed in the city of Moscow”
Volodymyr Zelensky sent a double-edged message to the Kremlin ahead of the Victory Day parade, officially announcing that Ukraine will not strike Red Square. In the decree published in Kyiv, the wording appears: “The parade is allowed to take place in the city of Moscow.”
Zelenski signed the decree by which he “allows” Putin to hold his parade. PHOTO: gov. Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on Friday, May 8, with a wording that immediately caught the attention of the media and political commentators for its unusual tone and indirect message to the Kremlin ahead of the May 9 military parade in Moscow.
The official document announces that Ukraine will not hit Red Square during Russia's Victory Day ceremony, but the wording chosen by the leader in Kiev has been interpreted as a political irony towards Moscow and Vladimir Putin.
The decree explicitly states: “The parade is allowed in the city of Moscow”, an expression that symbolically suggests that the security of the event also depends on Ukraine's decision not to attack the Russian capital at an extremely sensitive moment for the Kremlin. The document was published on the official website of the Presidency of Ukraine.
“DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE No. 374/2026
Watching the parade unfold in the city of Moscow
Considering the numerous requests, for humanitarian purposes, discussed during the negotiations with the American side on May 8, 2026, I decide:
The parade is allowed to take place in the city of Moscow (Russian Federation) on May 9, 2026.
During the parade (starting at 10:00 a.m., Kyiv time, on May 9, 2026), the territorial perimeter of the Red Square is excluded from the plan for the use of Ukrainian weapons.” writes in the presidential decree, which also mentions the exact coordinates of the area that will be temporarily exempted from possible Ukrainian military operations.
Volodymyr Zelensky's message comes at a time of heightened tension between Kiev and Moscow, following a series of drone attacks on targets inside Russia and amid Kremlin fears of possible incidents during the military parade.
Shortly after the publication of the decree, the Ukrainian leader also explained the motivation of the decision, stating that Kyiv's priority remains the recovery of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
“Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home,” Zelenski conveyed through a message distributed on the X platform, in which he also thanks Donald Trump for mediating this truce.
“In recent days there have been numerous calls and signals about the situation tomorrow from Moscow, in connection with our Ukrainian long-range strike capabilities. The principle of symmetry in our actions is well known and has been clearly communicated to the Russian side. An additional argument for Ukraine in establishing our position has always been to solve one of the main humanitarian problems of this war – namely the release of prisoners of war. Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home.
That's why today, in the negotiation process mediated by the American side, we received Russia's agreement to carry out a prisoner exchange in the 1,000 to 1,000 format. A ceasefire must also be established on 9, 10 and 11 May. Ukraine is constantly working to bring its people home from Russian captivity. We trained our team to quickly prepare everything needed for the exchange.
I thank the President of the United States and his team for their productive diplomatic engagement. We expect the United States to ensure that the Russian side honors these agreements.
Glory to Ukraine!”, wrote Volodimit Zelensky on the X platform.
Also on Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that he was the architect of a three-day truce between Ukraine and Russia, between May 9-11
“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY (May 9, 10 and 11) Ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform, stating that the truce would also include a massive prisoner exchange.
