President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said on Sunday that a ceasefire with Russia was possible at any moment, calling on Kyiv’s allies to apply greater pressure on Moscow to put the measure in place.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Prague alongside Czech President Petr Pavel, Zelenskyy said that unless increased pressure were applied, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin would take no real steps to end the conflict.
“We believe that without increased pressure, Russia will not take real practical steps to end the war. Today marks the 54th day that Russia has ignored even the American proposal to completely cease fire.
“We believe that a ceasefire is possible at any moment, even starting today, and should last at least 30 days to give diplomacy a real chance,”; Zelenskyy told reporters.
DAILY POST reports that Putin last week declared a three-day ceasefire from May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
According to Zelenskyy, such a measure is pointless and has called instead for an unconditional ceasefire over at least 30 days in line with a U.S. proposal launched in March.
The Czech government is said have been a strong backer of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and has led an initiative to supply Ukraine with large-calibre ammunition.
The Ukrainian leader said that rather than putting tanks on display at a May 9 victory parade, Putin should be thinking about how to actually end the war.
“Three things are needed. More sanctions against Russia, continued support for Ukraine, and a significant increase in defence cooperation across Europe. Russia must know that Europeans will defend themselves,”; he said.
