Zelenskiy says Ukraine stood by its offer of a 30-day ceasefire

8/5/2025 6:05

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday

that his country stood by its offer to observe a 30-day

ceasefire in its war with Russia, while the Kremlin had made no

response to the proposal.

A spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile,

rejected any suggestion that Moscow had opposed or was hindering

efforts to introduce a ceasefire.



Both were speaking hours before a three-day ceasefire

proposed by Russia was to go into effect to mark the anniversary

of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

"Ukraine's proposal to cease strikes and establish at least a

30-day ceasefire remains in force," Zelenskiy said in a nightly

video address. "We are not withdrawing this proposal, which

could give diplomacy a chance."

Zelenskiy also appeared to acknowledge the numerous drone

attacks that have been targeting Russian sites, including the

city of Moscow, as the World War Two commemorations approached.



"It is absolutely fair that Russian skies, the skies of the

aggressor, are also not calm today, in a mirror-like way," he

said.



Russia, he said, had made no response to the 30-day offer

"except for new strikes. This clearly and obviously demonstrates

to everyone who the source of the war is."



The U.S. proposed the 30-day ceasefire in March and Ukraine

agreed. Russia has said such a measure could only be introduced

after mechanisms to enforce and uphold it are put in place.



Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said

Russia had observed a separate 30-day moratorium on attacks on

energy sites and had also observed a ceasefire to coincide with

the observance of Orthodox Easter last month.



"The only obstacle to the ceasefire is Kyiv, which violates

agreements and is unwilling to seriously discuss the terms of a

long-term ceasefire," Zakharova said in response to comments by

U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg.



"Russia has never been opposed to a ceasefire. All the more

so, we have done this twice," Zakharova said in a comment posted

on the Foreign Ministry's website.



"Having Kyiv observe them could have been a step towards a

long-term ceasefire. Unfortunately, Kyiv sabotaged both. The

Ukrainian military violated the moratorium 135 times and the

Easter ceasefire nearly 5,000 times."