Zelenskyy Seeks Details of Putin’s May 9 Ceasefire Proposal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on April 30 that he is seeking details on a short-term ceasefire proposed by Moscow, which Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Putin proposed a ceasefire to coincide with Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9 during a phone call with the U.S. president, both Moscow and Washington confirmed on April 29.

“I have instructed our representatives to contact the team of the President of the United States and clarify the details of Russia’s proposal for a short-term ceasefire,” Zelenskyy wrote in an April 30 post on Telegram.

“Ukraine seeks peace and is undertaking the necessary diplomatic efforts to bring this war to a genuine end. We will determine exactly what this entails: a few hours of security for a parade in Moscow, or something more.”

Zelenskyy said that Kyiv’s proposal was to “establish a long-term ceasefire, guarantee reliable security for the people, and achieve lasting peace.”

Trump said on April 29 that he had discussed a possible ceasefire in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent phone call.

Trump made the comments to reporters while greeting Artemis II astronauts in the Oval Office. The Kremlin had earlier reported that the leaders discussed a temporary truce to mark the May 9 anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

“We had a good talk, I’ve known him a long time,” Trump said. “I had a long talk with President Putin. I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire and I think he might do that. He might announce something having to do with it.”

Trump said the call was focused on Ukraine.

“We only talked about Ukraine,” he said. “And I talked a little bit about Iran. I talked about a few different subjects, mostly about Ukraine. And we had a very good conversation. I think we’re going to come up with a solution relatively quickly. I hope. Even if it’s a little ceasefire, there’s so many people being killed. It’s so ridiculous.”

Trump also described Ukraine’s military situation as defeated.

“I think Ukraine militarily, they’re defeated,” he said. “OK? Military … their navy … 159 ships. Every ship is right now underwater … their air force … every one of their airplanes has been shot down … missiles, about 82 percent are gone … drones and most of them are gone.”

The president said he told Putin that he wanted the Ukraine war ended before accepting any Russian help on Iran’s enriched uranium.

“I said, before you help me, I want to end your war,” Trump said.

Recent U.S.–Russia diplomacy on Ukraine has centered on incremental steps to reduce fighting while pursuing a broader deal.

The Kremlin described the latest call as friendly, frank, and businesslike.

Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Trump gave a positive assessment of the recent Easter ceasefire and reacted positively to the idea of another temporary ceasefire tied to Russia’s May 9 Victory Day observances.

“Vladimir Putin informed his American counterpart of his readiness to declare a ceasefire also for the period of the Victory Day celebration,” Ushakov said. “Trump actively supported this initiative, noting that the holiday marks our common victory over Nazism during World War II.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 30 that no final decision had been made on the precise dates for the ceasefire.

“For now, we are proceeding on the assumption that this concerns Victory Day, but the dates when this ceasefire will begin and when it will end will be decided by the supreme commander-in-chief [Putin],” he said, according to Russian state media outlet TASS, adding that those dates would be announced as soon as that decision had been made.

He added that Moscow had not yet received a response from Kyiv regarding the proposed ceasefire.

Kimberly Hayek contributed to this report.