Ukraine rejects Russian truce plan and calls for longer ceasefire
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on April 28th announced a three-day truce plan for Ukraine to celebrate Victory Day in World War II, Africanews and AP reported.
According to the Kremlin, the truce will go on from May 8th until the end of May 10th. The Kremlin said the ceasefire was ordered for humanitarian reasons to remember Russia’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: “If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately.” He added that Ukraine seeks a “lasting, reliable, and complete ceasefire” for a minimum of 30 days. Sybiha questioned the date of May 8th and called for an immediate start to any ceasefire.
On March 3rd, The National via Reuters reported, as cited by Levantis, that the UK and France were in talks over a one-month truce for Ukraine and Russia. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the partial ceasefire would cover air, sea, and energy infrastructure. He stated the truce would test Russia’s willingness to negotiate. President Macron supported deploying European peacekeepers. Ground fighting was excluded from the plan.
Ukraine had accepted a US-proposed 30-day total ceasefire, BBC News reported on March 12th. President Zelensky said Ukraine expected strong US action if Moscow rejected the deal.
