Russia Dismisses Ukraine’s Truce Request Before Putin’s Victory Day.
Russia has turned down Ukraine’s push to turn a brief ceasefire into a longer one. The proposal came after President Vladimir Putin announced a three-day pause in early May. Ukraine hoped to extend it to a full month, but the Kremlin said no.
According to Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, Moscow had reviewed President Zelensky’s request but insisted some important concerns still hang in the air. He said talks on a longer truce cannot move forward unless those issues are handled first. “Without answers to these questions, it is difficult to enter into a long-term ceasefire,” Peskov said. He made it clear this reflects Putin’s personal position on the matter.
This is not the first time Russia has taken this stance. Back in March, when former US President Donald Trump proposed a 30-day ceasefire, Putin laid out similar demands. He warned that Ukraine must not use any pause to rearm or regroup. He also insisted that Western countries stop sending weapons to Kyiv. Putin gave no promises in return.
The latest ceasefire was announced by Putin to cover May 8 to 11. It overlaps with Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9, a date the country marks every year to remember the end of World War II. This year, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the ceremony in Moscow’s Red Square.
Peskov described the short ceasefire as a gesture of goodwill. But President Zelensky was not convinced. He dismissed it as a carefully planned move meant to sway global opinion, not a real step toward peace.
