Russian President Vladimir Putin's three-day Victory Day truce is insufficient, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview with Corriere della Sera published on April 29, stressing the need for a "just and lasting peace."
Putin claimed Russian forces would cease all hostilities from May 8 until midnight on May 11 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Ukraine retorted by calling for a full and unconditional ceasefire, a proposal that Moscow continues to reject.
In the interview, Meloni voiced support for U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to broker a peace between Ukraine and Russia and lauded President Volodymyr Zelensky's readiness for an unconditional truce.
"Now, it is Russia that must demonstrate the same. Because the three-day truce announced by Putin for the anniversary of the victory in World War II is something different, and definitely not enough," Meloni said.
The Italian leader said the peace must be lasting and backed by strong security guarantees. Meloni repeated her proposal to provide Ukraine with guarantees based on NATO's Article 5, even if there was no consensus on Kyiv's formal entry.
"Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason, everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade," Zelensky previously said.
"We value human lives, not parades. That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8," he added. Ukraine has accused Russia of violating multiple ceasefire agreements in the past.
The White House has also reacted by calling for a lasting truce, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt saying, "(President Trump) has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed... Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out."
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace efforts, threatening to pull out unless progress is made.
Timothy Ash
(Updated: )
