Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he did not “believe” that Russia would respect a three -day truce to come to coincide with the celebrations of the Moscow victory day.
“This is not the first challenge, nor the first promises made by Russia as a ceasefire … We know who we are dealing with, we do not believe them,” kyiv’s leader told journalists during a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel.
Vladimir Putin proposed a three -day truce that coincide with the Russian commemorations of May 9 in order to, according to him, test the arrangement of kyiv to make peace. He had already decreed a short ceasefire during the Pascal weekend in April, which had led to a drop in fighting without being fully respected by the two camps.
In March, Moscow rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire offered by kyiv and Washington. “Today and throughout these last days, they are talking about wanting a kind of partial ceasefire, but you should know, for example, that the number of assaults today is the highest in recent months,” said Volodymyr Zelensky, citing a military report which reports more than 200 attacks on Saturday. “There is therefore no confidence (in them),” added the Ukrainian president.
-Petr Pavel, former NATO general, said that he was paying attention to those who are ready to respect a cease-fire, not those who are content to talk about it. “Putin can put an end to war with a simple decision, but he has not shown the will so far,” added the Czech.
The Czech Republic welcomed half a million Ukrainians
Volodymyr 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 Ukraine with a substantial humanitarian and military support since the invasion of this country by Russia in February 2022. It welcomed more than half a million refugees and provided the Ukrainian army of equipment such as tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters.
Prague also coordinates a European initiative aimed at providing artillery ammunition to Ukraine, largely funded by NATO allies, which Volodymyr Zelensky described as “excellent” during the press conference.
This initiative aims to partially compensate for the fact that the EU did not hold its promise to provide a million shells to Ukraine. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, and presidents of the two chambers of Parliament said they would meet the kyiv leader in Prague on Monday.
