• Ukraine’s unelected president Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel on May 3, 2025: “An unconditional ceasefire is a model proposed by the Americans. We are following it. From this date or another – preferably earlier. Yes, let’s try for 30 days. Why a ceasefire for 30 days? Because it is impossible to agree on anything in three, five, seven days.”
“This is more of a theatrical production on his [Putin] part. Because it is impossible to build any plan for the next steps to end the war in two or three days. And therefore, it simply does not look very serious or very unserious. Playing in order to give Putin a soft atmosphere of coming out of isolation on May 9, and so that everyone is comfortable, safe – those leaders, or friends, or partners of Putin who will come to Kremlin Square for one reason or another on May 9 – no one will help Putin. We are simply either at war, or Putin is showing that he is ready for a ceasefire, for the first part of ending the war. We are ready to start from the 1st, from the 3rd, from the 5th. If he needs the date of the 7th – we don’t care. From the 7th – 30 days.”
• During the same press conference, also in the presence of Cech President Petr Pavel, Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Our position is very simple for all countries planning to go or already heading to Russia on May 9: we cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation. They [Russia] are the ones providing security, and therefore, we will not offer any guarantees. We don’t know what Russia will do on those dates. They may take certain actions – arson, explosions, and so on – and then accuse us. As president, I told the foreign minister that we must inform anyone who reaches out to us: ’We do not recommend visiting Russia from a [safety] standpoint. And if you do choose to go, do not ask us. That is your personal decision.”
• Calling the remarks “verbal provocations,” deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said the same evening that no one could guarantee that the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, would survive on May 10 if Ukraine attacked Moscow during the May 9 victory celebration.
• As a precaution, Moscow cancelled the Victory Parade that was to take place in Sevastopol, Crimea, which the Zelensky administration considers to be Ukrainian.
• Washington did not respond to this controversy, and only Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that he was going to Moscow despite the EU’s position. He commented: “I reject these threats for security reasons. I fully respect the fact that the safety of participants is an internal matter of the Russian Federation. But if Zelensky believes that his statements will force foreign delegations not to come, then he is profoundly mistaken. It’s a great disrespect when someone accuses a country that made the greatest contribution to the victory over fascism and suffered the greatest absolute sacrifices we can imagine: Well, let’s celebrate [the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II], but “we could drop a drone or something like that on you.” For me, this type of remark is unacceptable.”
☞ Robert Fico was the victim of an assassination attempt in his country on May 15, 2024. He had to be hospitalized for several months, but has not changed his position vis-à-vis the EU.
• Warsaw has granted a flight permit to Robert Fico’s plane to cross Poland and go to Moscow. On the other hand, Vilnius and Riga have refused to allow the plane carrying Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic to cross their airspace.
• 29 world leaders are expected on Red Square where troops from 12 countries will march.
• The Kremlin has announced that Chinese president Xi Jinping will hold long talks with his host, Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of the victory parade. The two heads of state are expected to discuss the common response to Ukraine’s thinly veiled threats.
This is the editorial from our paywalled “Voltaire, international newsletter”, n°132. For more information, do not hesitate to subscribe: 500€ per year.