Russia and Ukraine have called for different ceasefires amid the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, teasing the prospect of a longer pause and the viability of negotiations to end the four-year conflict Moscow started.
The annual Victory Day celebrations on May 9 commemorates the Soviet role in defeating Nazi Germany and is usually a display of military might in Red Square, which Putin has leveraged to promote patriotism and invoke parallels with his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, Russia has said this Friday’s event for the 81st anniversary would be a scaled-back version—with no tanks, missiles or military equipment on display—and its Defense Ministry has called for hostilities to cease on May 8 and May 9.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had not received an official Russian appeal for a Victory Day ceasefire, but in issuing a challenge to Russia, he added that Kyiv would unilaterally enact a ceasefire from midnight on Tuesday and maintain it if Moscow reciprocated. Ukraine has repeatedly called for a full and unconditional ceasefire, and Zelensky suggested that such a pause starting May 5 could test the prospect of a longer end to fighting.
“We believe that human life is far more valuable than any anniversary ‘celebration'” Zelensky wrote on X, adding: “It is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s Defense Ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill.”
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on April 29 that Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump he wanted a short-term ceasefire for the holiday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has warned that any Ukrainian strike on Moscow during Friday’s celebrations would be met with a “massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv.”
In a Substack published on Tuesday, exiled Russian opposition activist Mikhail Khodorkovsky wrote that a truce timed to the parade would give the Russian state a few days of staged calm and suspend Ukrainian strike activity at the moment Russia is most exposed to it, allowing the celebration to proceed without the embarrassment that has been building.
“If Kyiv accepts, Russia gets a reprieve,” Khodorkovsky wrote. “If Kyiv refuses, Russia gets a propaganda dividend, a chance to argue that the obstacle to peace is in Ukraine.”
Previous Failed Ceasefires
Despite the calls for a truce, distrust between the sides remains high, and there is no end in sight to the war, which has raged for longer than World War II, also known in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.
During a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire, each side accused the other of thousands of violations. During last year’s 80th anniversary celebrations, Ukraine said a Russian-declared “humanitarian ceasefire” collapsed within hours, and that Moscow committed over 700 truce violations—including assault operations and drone and missile strikes.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last month that talks with Ukraine were not a priority for Moscow, and major disagreements continue to block progress.
Ukraine has said freezing the current front line could be a basis for a ceasefire, but Moscow has rejected that proposal, calling instead for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from parts of the Donbas region—a move Kyiv has rejected.
Zelensky has drawn attention to Russia’s recent deadly attacks against Merefa in Kharkiv Oblast and Dnipro, as a map by Newsweek shows the latest state of the front line. Russian forces are continuing offensive operations in northern Sumy Oblast, north and northeast of Kharkiv City, and southeast of Kupiansk—where Ukrainian troops have responded with counterattacks, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The Washington, D.C., think tank said on Monday that Russia’s priority is to seize the Ukraine’s main fortified line, the “Fortress Belt,” in the east—which includes Kostyantynivka—but at the moment is choosing to reinforce the Pokrovsk direction.
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