'Idiots' — Zelensky slams Russia’s proposal for brief truce to retrieve fallen soldiers' bodies

President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Russia’s proposal for a 2–3-day local ceasefire to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers, speaking during a June 2 online press conference attended by the Kyiv Independent.

Russia proposed a temporary two- to three-day ceasefire in specific areas of the front line to allow for the retrieval of fallen soldiers' bodies, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said on June 2. Medinsky, who heads Moscow’s delegation to the peace talks in Istanbul, made the statement during a press conference following the second round of negotiations with Ukraine.

"They just don’t see a ceasefire as such at the moment," Zelensky said of Russia's proposal. "As they said regarding a ceasefire, they are ready for a 2–3-day ceasefire to retrieve the dead from the battlefield. I think they’re idiots, because, fundamentally, a ceasefire is meant so that there are no dead."

"You can see their attitude. For them, this is just a brief pause in the war," the president added.

"That’s why we really want our American partners to push a sanctions package through the Senate with decisive steps — to pressure the Russians into a ceasefire with strong sanctions. They don’t understand any other way for now."

U.S. President Donald Trump Trump said on May 28 that the U.S. would soon know whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war. If not, he warned, Washington would "respond a little bit differently."

The U.S. president said he had not yet imposed new sanctions on Russia because he believed a peace deal might be within reach. "If I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that," he said, but added he is prepared to act if Moscow stalls further.

Ukraine's official proposal, obtained by the Kyiv Independent on June 2, suggests that some existing sanctions against Russia could be lifted in the event of a full ceasefire. However, the plan includes a key condition: sanctions would be automatically reinstated if Russia violates the ceasefire terms.

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The Kyiv IndependentChris York