Ukraine wants details of Russia's army parade truce offer / Photo: Oleksandr GIMANOV - AFP
Ukraine wants details of Russia's army parade truce offer
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said Kyiv would seek details from Washington about a Kremlin offer for a ceasefire on May 9, when Russia holds large-scale World War II commemorations.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin made the proposal to pause fighting in his four-year invasion of Ukraine during a call with US President Donald Trump a day earlier. The Kremlin said Trump supported the move.
The proposal came after Russia announced earlier this week that no army hardware would be included in this year's World War II Victory Day celebrations, breaking with its traditional bombastic display of military might.
It called the decision a precautionary measure given the threat of Ukrainian retaliatory strikes.
Responding to Putin's new Victory Day truce proposal, Zelensky said he had instructed members of his team to get more details on what exactly was on the table, saying Ukraine ultimately wants to end the war.
"We will clarify what exactly this is about -- a few hours of security for a parade in Moscow, or something more," Zelensky said in the statement.
"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," he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday 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.
- 'We shouldn't make concessions' -
The centrepiece of Russia's May 9 celebrations is typically a massive military parade through Red Square in Moscow, presided over by Putin.
Cities throughout the country hold public celebrations that draw large crowds onto the streets, and world leaders allied with Putin descend on Moscow for the army procession.
In central Kyiv, some residents of the Ukrainian capital said they did not believe Putin's Victory Day proposal was in Ukraine's interests.
"If it were a complete ceasefire, then yes. But a partial one -- no, we shouldn't make concessions to them," said Nadia Maiboroda, a pensioner.
"They are insidious; they will do what they want, and it will not save us, in any case," added the 71-year-old, who was displaced by fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Vitaliy, a 26-year-old philologist, was hopeful the proposal could lead to a longer halt in combat.
"Any ceasefire is always good. If it can be stopped for one day, that means it can be stopped for a longer term. The question is who will comply with it and how," he told AFP.
Ukraine's army has increased its long-range strikes against energy and military targets deep behind the front lines in recent months, regularly sending batches of drones towards the capital.
Kyiv is aiming to dent the oil revenues that fund Russia's war chest.
Russia has meanwhile pursued its campaign of long-range drone and missile attacks.
Zelensky's response to Putin's ceasefire proposal on Thursday 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.
P.Claes--JdB
