Zelensky is skeptical after Russia agrees to a limited Ukrainian ceasefire
The White House says Russia has agreed to a temporary ceasefire. There, Kiev and Moscow agree to halt attacks on each other’s power plants and electrical grids.
Ukrainian President Voldymi Zelensky said that a ceasefire with Russia is always possible after more than three years of war, calling for Kiev’s allies to put great pressure on Moscow.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Prague with Czech President Petr Pavel, Zelenskyy said Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin would not take real steps to end the conflict unless increased pressure was applied.
“We believe that if we don’t increase the pressure, Russia will not take any practical practical steps to end the war. Today we mark the 54th day when Russia ignored even the US proposal to stop the fire completely,” Zelenki told reporters.
“We believe that a ceasefire is always possible, even if we start today, and should last at least 30 days to give diplomacy a real opportunity.”
Last week, President Putin declared a three-day ceasefire on May 8-10, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies against Nazi Germany in World War II.
Zelenskyy said such measures were pointless and instead sought an unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days in line with the US proposal launched in March.
The Czech government has been a strong supporter of Kiev since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has led an initiative to supply large ammunition to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy wants pressure on Moscow, more sanctions
Rather than displaying tanks at the May 9 victory parade, the Ukrainian president said Putin should think “about ways to actually end his war.”
“Three things are needed: more sanctions against Russia, more support for Ukraine, and a significant increase in defence cooperation across Europe,” he said. “Russia must know that Europeans protect themselves.”
Moscow says it wants a clear reply to the three-day offer from Zelenskyy.
Pavel said he has yet to show any indication that Russia wants to proceed with measures to end the war.
“If someone has all the cards in their hands to end the war, it’s Putin and that can do that with a single decision,” he told reporters. “But so far, no will has been manifested.”
Under the military initiative, Czechs used their diplomatic, business and industrial expertise to find large ammunition from around the world and ship it to Ukraine with funds from NATO allies.
Pavel said in February that Ukraine had received 1.6 million rounds of large ammunition over the past year.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine hopes to receive 1.8 million shells in 2025 based on the programme initiative
In a previous social media post, Zelenskyy praised the initiative as “effective”, saying that cooperation will also be pursued in military aviation, expanding its pilot training programme and supporting the fleet of Ukraine’s F-16 aircraft.
Zelensky, who is accompanied by First Radio Lena Zelenska on the trip, will meet with Czech Prime Minister Petrufiara on Monday, with the Czech ammunition drive driving into the topic of the agenda.
The Ukrainian leader said on the X social media site on Saturday that he was preparing for an upcoming foreign policy conference focused on helping Russia push into a ceasefire.
He also said he discussed the air defense system and sanctions with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral held in the Vatican on April 26th.
(Reporting by Jason Hovett of Prague and Pavel Politic in Kiev, Additional Report by Alan Charlish, Edited by Toby Chopra, Ron Popesky and Margherita Choi)
