'If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately' — Ukraine reacts to Putin's Victory Day truce
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Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reacted on April 28 to Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a so-called "humanitarian" truce on the Victory Day, saying that Russia must immediately cease fire if it wants a truce.
The announcement comes as Moscow continues to reject Kyiv's demand for a full and unconditional ceasefire as the first step toward a broader peace deal.
The ceasefire will be in effect from midnight on May 8 until midnight on May 11, according to the Kremlin's statement.
"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8th? If the fire can be ceased now and since any date for 30 days — so it is real, not just for a parade," Sybiha wrote in a post on X.
"Ukraine is ready to support a lasting, durable, and full ceasefire. And this is what we are constantly proposing, for at least 30 days," he added.
The Victory Day ceasefire is the latest in a series of truce initiatives announced by Moscow, all of which Russia has violated.
Earlier this month, Russia declared a ceasefire over the Easter holiday, though President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of nearly 3,000 violations between April 19 and April 21. Ukraine has also said that Russian forces repeatedly breached a partial truce on attacks against energy facilities brokered on March 25.
Russia has repeatedly proclaimed its supposed readiness for peace talks while simultaneously pushing for maximalist demands. Kyiv has dismissed these declarations as a propaganda stunt, noting that Russian forces have only intensified their attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns.
