President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address that Kyiv “does not recommend” that representatives of countries close to Russia travel to Moscow for May 9 events.
He said Russia had been given a chance to observe a ceasefire but failed to do so.
“Ukraine proposed a ceasefire to Russia. And this is far from Ukraine’s first proposal. This time, the proposal was to begin a ceasefire on May 6. Ukraine was ready to ensure complete silence, but in response to this peace proposal there were only new Russian strikes and new threats from Russia,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader said Moscow wanted security for its May 9 parade while continuing to threaten Ukraine afterward.
“They want Ukraine’s permission to hold their parade – to safely gather in the square for one hour once a year – and then continue killing our people and waging war afterward. Russian officials are already speaking about strikes after May 9,” he said.
While Moscow was seeking guarantees for a ceasefire, representatives of countries close to Russia were asking Ukraine about their planned visits to Moscow, according to Zelensky.
“We have also received messages from some states close to Russia saying that their representatives intend to be in Moscow. We do not recommend it,” he said.
Zelensky said Russian forces had continued attacks across Ukraine on Thursday.
“Just over the past day, Russians attacked along the perimeter of our entire defensive line – from the Chernihiv region to the Mykolaiv region. Civilian trains were struck; these were ordinary civilian trains with no military purpose whatsoever,” he said.
“The Russians also repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure and ordinary residential buildings,” he added.
Zelensky said Kyiv’s response would be proportional.
“Ukraine’s position is absolutely transparent and honest: Ukraine will act symmetrically. If there had been silence, there would have been no Ukrainian long-range strikes,” Zelensky concluded.