Russia pledges to honor V-E Day truce if Ukraine does

The Kremlin remained committed to honoring the previously announced three-day ceasefire in its war on Ukraine in order to honor Victory in Europe Day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday. President Vladimir Putin last week unilaterally called for a pause to the fighting from May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Allies, ending the conflict in World War II’s European theater. Peskov said Russia still planned to honor the truce, but noted that it would immediately retaliate to any Ukrainian attacks launched during the 72-hour period.

Moscow recognizes V-E Day as a major national holiday with a ceremonial military parade in Red Square with millions in attendance, including international leaders and military personnel. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday called on international leaders to boycott the parade. Any military personnel who participate in the parade are a disgrace to the memory of defeating Nazism, according to the ministry’s statement. Any country that sends military to the Red Square parade will lose any previously declared neutrality in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by supporting Russia with attendance, the statement added.

Will Ukraine honor the truce? It remained unclear whether Ukraine would honor Russia’s truce. Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha initially questioned Russia’s intentions with the ceasefire, arguing that if Moscow truly wanted peace, it would call an immediate ceasefire. Ukraine has repeatedly proposed a ceasefire of 30 days or more, Sybiha wrote. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously accused Russia of breaking its last truce, which was called to mark the observation of Easter about a week before Putin announced this one.

Both countries launched attacks at each other hours before the VE-Day truce took effect. Russia’s overnight strikes on Kyiv and surrounding areas killed at least two people and injured at least four children, Sybiha said Wednesday morning. Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia disrupted the country’s air traffic and canceled flights at the four international airports around Moscow, according to the Associated Press.