President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said Ukraine will not adhere to a three-day cease-fire proposed by Russia, saying such a short truce would not help in negotiations for a lasting peace.
Ukraine in March accepted a proposal from the Trump administration for a 30-day cease-fire, to be followed by talks on matters including the location of an armistice line, steps to safeguard a nuclear power plant occupied by the Russian army and deployment of a possible European peacekeeping force.
On Saturday Mr. Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv that the Russian counteroffer of a three-day cease-fire covering the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, an important political holiday in Russia, was merely a “theatrical show.”
He said Russia’s offer was intended to “create a soft atmosphere of an exit from isolation” for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and to assuage security worries of foreign leaders and dignitaries attending a Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9. The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has accepted an invitation to attend the parade.
“We are simply either at war, or Putin shows he is ready to stop shooting as a first step to ending the war,” Mr. Zelensky said. Ukraine’s offer of a 30-day truce remains on the table, he added, saying Ukraine would be willing to start that truce before the May 9 holiday if Russia accepted it.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has designed and manufactured a growing fleet of exploding long-range drones capable of striking Moscow, and has repeatedly targeted the Russian capital.
Mr. Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine would offer no safety guarantees to guests at the Red Square parade on May 9, as Russia has carried on missile strikes on Ukraine despite visits by foreign leaders to Kyiv. Last week, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, aired a more direct threat, saying guests to the parade should “bring earplugs.”
The spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, responded that Mr. Zelensky’s comments were a “direct threat” to Russia’s celebration. The deputy head of Russia’s security council, Dmitri A. Medvedev, threatened retaliation for any attacks during the anniversary ceremonies, writing in a post on Telegram that, “in the event of a real provocation on Victory Day, nobody guarantees Kyiv will see May 10.”
The rejection of Russia’s offer comes as Mr. Zelensky has found himself on somewhat surer ground with the Trump administration in cease-fire talks, mending relations after a disastrous Oval Office shouting match in February. He has taken pains to point out that Ukraine accepted the administration’s proposed cease-fire followed by substantive talks, while Russia has not.
Though its advances on the battlefield have slowed to a crawl amid staggering casualties, Russia is still seen as having momentum in the war and would lose leverage if fighting halted for any significant period.
President Trump last month expressed frustration with Russian foot-dragging in talks and bombardments of Ukrainian cities that have killed scores of civilians, posting on social media, “Vladimir STOP!” after a missile strike in Kyiv killed 12 people and wounded dozens.
In his comments on Saturday, Mr. Zelensky praised the change of tone in a meeting with Mr. Trump on the sidelines of the funeral of Pope Francis last month, calling it his “best conversation” yet with the American leader.
As the two sat face-to-face on chairs in the Vatican, he said, he had broached a U.S. resumption of the provision of air defense weapons to Ukraine and suggested that America impose additional sanctions on Russia. “I won’t speak of the details, but what he told me sounded strong,” Mr. Zelensky said.
On Thursday, the spokeswoman for the State Department, Tammy K. Bruce, said the United States would step back as a mediator in the talks, which have yielded only limited commitments to reduce airstrikes on energy infrastructure and an earlier, one-day cease-fire on Easter Sunday that both sides accused the other of violating.
“We certainly will remain committed to it and will help where we can,” Ms. Bruce said of the search for peace. But, she said, “we are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat to mediate meetings.” The negotiations, she said, would depend on Russia and Ukraine presenting “concrete ideas about how this conflict is going to end. It’s going to be up to them.”
On Saturday, Mr. Zelensky suggested the United States would step back after a cease-fire was achieved. He said that “apparently, after an agreement on a cease-fire, some countries would like us to remain one-on-one with the Russians.”
In response to a question about the prospect of the Trump administration walking away from talks, Mr. Zelensky said he expected European nations to play a role. The Europeans, he said, will “be nearby.”
