Russian officials said Tuesday that Moscow intends to implement a three-day truce with Ukraine that starts at midnight on May 8 but vowed any Ukrainian attacks during that time will be met with a response.
The ceasefire will coincide with Russia’s celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory against Nazi Germany in World War II.
“There will be no hostilities. However, if there is no reciprocity from the Kiev regime and they continue to attack our positions or facilities, we will retaliate,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the idea of a three-day truce, saying it would not help negotiations for a lasting peace, and backed a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
“Let me remind you that on May 3, Zelensky publicly refused to support this initiative, trying to claim that the proposal was not serious,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Zelensky has also advised world leaders to avoid Russia’s Victory Day parade, saying he couldn’t guarantee their safety, which Moscow has taken as a threat since Ukrainian intelligence has carried out multiple bombing attacks inside Russian territory.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is planning to attend the parade, also took Zelensky’s comments as a threat. “I reject such threats for security reasons. I fully respect that the safety of participants is an internal matter of the Russian Federation. But if Mr. Zelensky believes that his statements will force foreign delegations not to come, then he is deeply mistaken,” he said.
