Moscow Dismisses 30-Day Ceasefire as ‘Impossible’

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has effectively rejected Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire during a Tuesday press briefing.

Peskov said that the 30-day ceasefire is “impossible without resolving all the nuances,” according to The Moscow Times.

On Monday, Moscow announced a unilateral ceasefire from May 8 to May 10 to mark the end of World War II and coincide with Victory Day celebrations on May 9 in Russia. At the same time, Moscow said it reserves the right to deliver an “adequate response” if the ceasefire is violated.

Peskov described the move as a “gesture of goodwill” by Putin, who had previously declared his readiness for peace with Ukraine without “preconditions.” Peskov also claimed that Kyiv had so far “not responded” to Putin’s proposed ceasefire.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did respond to Putin’s proposal by saying that it should start immediately, rather than waiting until May 8 just to “ensure silence for Putin’s parade.”

“Now we are again seeing another attempt at manipulation: for some reason, everyone is expected to wait until May 8 to stop the fighting, just to ensure silence for Putin’s parade. We value people’s lives, not parades. That’s why we – and the world – believe there is no reason to wait until May 8,” Zelensky said.

Other Topics of Interest

Kasparov: Ukrainian Flag in Sevastopol Is the Shock Russia Needs to Accept Empire Is Dead

The Russian opposition figure said Ukraine’s victory, Russia’s defeat and the collapse of empire are inseparable conditions for peace in Europe.

Despite Ukraine’s response, Peskov insisted that the Kremlin “has not heard any reaction” to the temporary ceasefire proposal for May 9. “So far, it is very difficult to understand whether the Kyiv regime intends to join or not,” he added, claiming that Russia “strives to move the Ukrainian conflict toward a peaceful settlement.”

In April, Putin announced a so-called “Easter ceasefire,” which was supposed to run from the evening of April 18 until midnight on April 22. Despite the announcement, Russian forces continued their assaults and shelling along the front line, although no air raid alerts were recorded in Ukrainian regions on April 20.

Against the backdrop of this partial pause, Zelensky proposed extending the ceasefire for 30 days – calling for a halt to the use of long-range drones and missiles against civilian infrastructure. However, Moscow did not officially respond to the proposal.