Ukraine Seeks US Clarity on Russian Ceasefire Plan

Ukraine will seek clarification from President Donald Trump's team on details of a Russian proposal for a brief ceasefire next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday.

Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and told reporters they had discussed the idea of "a little bit of a ceasefire."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the truce would cover May 9, the anniversary ⁠of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, but the exact timing had yet to be determined.

May 9 is a major public holiday in Russia, marked by ⁠a military parade on Moscow's Red Square. Putin, since launching his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has used the event to rally the nation behind the war, portraying Russia's modern-day troops as heroes following in the footsteps of those who fought against Adolf Hitler.

"We will clarify what exactly this is about — a few hours of security for a parade in Moscow, or something more," Zelenskyy said of the ceasefire proposal.

"Our proposal is a long-term ceasefire, reliable and guaranteed security for people, and a lasting peace. Ukraine is ready to work toward this in any dignified and effective format," he posted on X.

Last year, Putin ⁠declared a 72-hour ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of victory in ⁠Europe in World War II. It was not agreed with Kyiv, which called it a ruse and accused ⁠Russia of violating ⁠its own ceasefire hundreds of times.

Peskov said Putin had already made a decision on the latest proposed ceasefire, and it would go ahead, although some kind of response from Kyiv was expected.

The Soviet Union, of which both Russia and Ukraine were part, lost 27 million people in World War II — far more than any other country.

Russia has said that this year's Red Square parade will be smaller than previous years, without the usual display of weaponry.

The Kremlin has blamed this on what it calls a terrorist threat from Ukraine, which in recent weeks has stepped up strikes deep inside Russia while Moscow's forces have made only incremental progress on the battlefront.