The Ukrainian President: A ceasefire with Russia is possible at any moment and I don’t think Moscow will respect the three-day ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that a ceasefire agreement with Russia could be reached at any moment, urging Kyiv’s allies to exert greater pressure on Moscow to declare a truce in the more than three years of the ongoing war.

Zelensky announced on Sunday that he doesn’t believe Russia will respect the upcoming three-day truce, which coincides with Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations.

“This isn’t the first challenge, nor the first ceasefire promises made by Russia,” Zelenskyy told reporters at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel.

“We know who we are dealing with, and we don’t believe them,” he added.

The Kremlin proposed a three-day truce to coincide with Russia’s May 9 commemoration, asserting that it was intended to test Kyiv’s readiness for peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a brief truce over the Easter holiday in April, which led to a reduction in hostilities, although it was not fully respected by both sides.

In March, Moscow rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and Washington.

“Today and over the past few days, they have spoken about their desire for some kind of partial ceasefire, but it should be noted, for example, that the number of attacks today is the highest in recent months,” Zelensky said, referring to a military report that reported more than 200 attacks on Saturday.

“Therefore, there is no trust,” the Ukrainian president added.

Pavel, who was a NATO general, said he cares about those willing to respect the ceasefire, not just those who talk about it.

He added, “Putin can end the war with a simple decision, but he has not yet shown the will to do so”.

Zelensky arrived in Prague on Sunday for a two-day visit, accompanied by his wife.

The Czech Republic, a member of the European Union and NATO, has provided significant humanitarian and military support to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion of the country in February 2022.

Prague has received more than half a million refugees and supplied the Ukrainian military with equipment such as tanks, armored vehicles, and helicopters.

The move aims to partially compensate for the European Union’s failure to fulfill its promise to supply Ukraine with one million shells.