Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is again asking for a ceasefire, saying it must come before anything else. He said, “First that, then everything else.” He believes that stopping the fighting is the most important step before anyone talks about peace or future plans.
He also talked about the idea of a buffer zone and how people are still discussing what to do about Ukraine. After speaking, Zelensky and other leaders left the stage, shook hands, and quietly spoke with each other before walking away from the cameras.
Kremlin made it clear they didn’t like the way European countries are speaking. Russian news agency Interfax reported that the Kremlin thinks European leaders are being too aggressive with their words.
Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, said, “We hear many contradictory statements from Europe. They are generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations. Nothing more” BBC reports.
He also spoke to ABC News and said that Ukraine will keep bringing in new soldiers and giving rest to the ones already fighting. He added, “Ukraine will continue their total mobilization, bringing new troops to the front line. Ukraine will use this period to train new military personnel and to give rest to their existing ones. So, why should we grant such an advantage to Ukraine?”
Peskov said Russia does not want the West to keep sending weapons to Ukraine. He repeated that if Western countries keep doing that, then any ceasefire would only help Ukraine. He also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to solve the war through peace talks. But he said that without a clear peace deal, Russia has no choice but to continue the war.
Peskov said, “President Putin is doing whatever is possible to solve the problem, to achieve a settlement through peaceful and diplomatic means,” but if there is no agreement yet, then Russia “has to” keep fighting.
Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire: Zelensky Calls Russian Ceasefires ‘theatrical’
Zelensky has asked for a 30-day ceasefire again and again. He did not agree with the shorter ones Russia offered before, during Easter and Victory Day. He said those short breaks in fighting were “theatrical.” During those times, Ukrainian soldiers said Russia still attacked them, even when the ceasefire was supposed to be active.
Now, many world leaders are putting more pressure on Russia to agree to a longer and more real ceasefire. The leaders of France, Germany, the UK, and Poland are all coming to Kyiv on Saturday to support Ukraine. These leaders include French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Even US President Donald Trump, who praised Putin before, now seems upset with Russia. His tone has changed during the peace talks the U.S. is helping with.
“U.S. calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Hopefully, an acceptable ceasefire will be observed, and both Countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The president warned that if the ceasefire isn’t followed, more sanctions could be put on Russia. He also promised that he would “stay committed to securing peace between Russia and Ukraine,” which is different from what he said earlier when he threatened to walk away from peace talks if there was no progress.
At the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance said that Russia wants certain things in return to stop the war. But he added that the Trump team thinks Russia is “asking for too much.”
Till now Russia has only shown interest in very short ceasefires. They announced a three-day truce recently, which matched the timing of their Victory Day celebration. That day marks 80 years since the Allied forces beat Nazi Germany in World War II.
