MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Saturday it wanted what it called a “definitive” response from Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer of a three-day ceasefire to coincide with World War Two victory commemorations this month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy already appears to have ruled out such a ceasefire, saying he is only ready to agree if the ceasefire will last at least 30 days, an idea Putin has said needs a lot of work before it can become a reality.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin’s three-day offer was a test to assess Kyiv’s readiness to search for a peaceful settlement to end the war.
Putin on Monday declared the three-day ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War Two.
The Kremlin said the 72-hour ceasefire would run on May 8, May 9 – when Putin will host international leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping for celebrations to commemorate victory over Nazi Germany – and May 10.
Peskov also commented on media reports that Ukrainian soldiers will take part in World War Two commemorations in Britain, calling the move “sacrilege”.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)