Kyiv will observe its own truce with Moscow as of Wednesday midnight local time (Tuesday 23.00 CET). This is how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi responded on Monday to Russia’s unilateral cessation of hostilities on May 8 and 9. TASR writes about it according to the AFP agency.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that at the request of President Vladimir Putin, on the occasion of the Victory Day celebrations on Friday and Saturday, he will unilaterally observe the ceasefire with Ukraine. TASS reported that the department expressed hope that “the Ukrainian side will follow this example” and declare a ceasefire as well.
“To date, no official request has been received by Ukraine regarding the terms of the cessation of combat operations discussed on Russian social networks,” responded Zelensky on the X platform.
“We believe that human life is worth much more than any anniversary ‘celebrations’. In this regard, we are announcing a cease-fire regime effective from 00:00 on the night of May 5-6 local time (May 5 23:00 CEST).” he added.
“From now on, we will act reciprocally. It is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, especially when the Russian Ministry of Defense believes that it cannot hold a military parade in Moscow without the goodwill of Ukraine.” stated Zelenskyj. In its statement on Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense warned that it would launch large-scale strikes if Ukraine did not respect the ceasefire.
