President Zelenskyy announced a unilateral ceasefire starting May 6, saying no official Russian proposal had been received, after Moscow offered a two-day pause for WWII anniversary.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Monday that Ukraine is declaring a ceasefire beginning May 6, stating the country has received no official proposal from Russia despite circulating claims on social media.
Speaking at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Zelenskyy said the United States had discussed potential ceasefire scenarios with Russia regarding May 9, but no formal contact had been made with Ukraine. "The Americans spoke with the Russians about what could happen on May 9: ceasefire or no ceasefire – no one has officially contacted us, no one has officially proposed anything," he told journalists.
Zelenskyy criticized the notion of a single-day pause while hostilities continued beforehand. "Declaring a ceasefire for one day while killing Ukrainians before that is, to put it mildly, simply dishonest," he said, citing recent strikes on Merefa and Dnipro that killed and wounded civilians. He characterized a proposal to halt missile and drone strikes only one day before a parade as "not serious."
In a Telegram post later Monday, Zelenskyy formalized Ukraine's position. "As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media," he stated. Ukraine announced the ceasefire would take effect at 00:00 on the night of May 5-6, with the country prepared to act reciprocally from that moment.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine values human life above "any anniversary 'celebration'" and said sufficient time remained before the ceasefire date to ensure its implementation.
Russia's Defense Ministry announced Monday that President Vladimir Putin had declared a two-day ceasefire for May 8 and May 9, marking the anniversary of Nazi Germany's capitulation and the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. The ministry said it counted on Ukraine to reciprocate the offer.
The Defense Ministry also issued a warning, stating that should Ukraine decline and attack May 9 commemorations in Moscow, Russia would launch a "massive missile attack" on "the center" of Kyiv. "Despite the capabilities at our supply, Russia has previously refrained from such actions on humanitarian grounds," the ministry said in a statement.
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