Russia’s 3-Day Ceasefire Proposal Met with Scepticism in Ukraine
Russia has announced a self-declared three-day pause in fighting against Ukraine, set to begin on Wednesday night, in a move that has been met with widespread scepticism in Ukraine. According to a report by the BBC, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the ceasefire to coincide with the anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe, a public holiday in Russia known as Victory Day.
The proposal, however, has been rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who described it as little more than a "theatrical show". The BBC reports that Zelensky has stated Ukraine will not guarantee the safety of a celebratory military parade in Moscow’s Red Square on 9 May.
The Russian proposal has been met with cynicism in Ukraine, where polls consistently suggest that about 95% of the population distrusts Russia. As the BBC quotes Tetyana Kondratenko, a 42-year-old shopkeeper in Khotin Village, "I don’t believe there will be any ceasefire. Lately, the shelling has only intensified, for half the day today we have heard boom after boom."
Ukraine had previously agreed to a US proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, but Russia has not. The BBC notes that talks directed at a substantial ceasefire process began back in February, with US President Donald Trump sending officials to negotiate separately with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine.
The months since have been a deadly period in the war, with Russia intensively targeting Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles. According to the BBC, at least 848 civilians were killed between 1 and 24 April, a 46% increase on the same period last year.
Ukrainian polling suggests that a majority of the public would accept the idea of ceding some control of territory seized by the Russians during the full-scale invasion, though not surrendering formal sovereignty over the land. As Anton Grushetsky, director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, told the BBC, "There is for certainly a lot of fatigue and there is a lot of desire to have a stable peace in Ukraine."
However, the proposed three-day ceasefire has been viewed with suspicion by many in Ukraine, who believe it is simply a ploy by Russia to move its forces to strategic places on the battlefield, make reinforcements where needed, and prepare for offensives. Mykhailo Samus, a Ukrainian military analyst and director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, told the BBC, "Why would we play Putin’s game? We are ready for a real ceasefire. If he wants to organise a parade to show that he is a great leader, that is his business."
The BBC reports that residents of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv were kept awake in the early hours of Wednesday morning by Russian drone and missile strikes on the city. A ballistic missile was successfully shot down by air defence systems, but a drone hit a block of flats, killing a mother and her son and injuring at least six more, including a child.
In conclusion, the proposed three-day ceasefire by Russia has been met with widespread scepticism in Ukraine, with many viewing it as a propaganda exercise rather than a genuine attempt to broker peace. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether a lasting ceasefire can be achieved.
The information in this article comes from the BBC, which has been reporting extensively on the conflict in Ukraine.
