“May 10 may not come”: the Kremlin was furious over Zelensky’s refusal to accept a truce on May 9
After Volodymyr Zelenskyi refused to support Russia’s initiative regarding the so-called “three-day truce” on May 7-9, a wave of accusations and direct threats erupted in Moscow. The Ukrainian leader publicly rejected Vladimir Putin’s initiative, calling it a “theatrical farce” that has nothing to do with the real intention to end the war.
In response, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmytro Medvedev turned to personal insults and traditional anti-Ukrainian rhetoric. In his Telegram channels he wrote that, as they say, “in case of provocations on May 9, no one guarantees that May 10 will come in Kyiv.” Such a statement became a direct threat to strike the Ukrainian capital on a symbolic date, which is celebrated in Russia as “Victory Day”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova joined the threats. In a comment to the Russian mass media, she said that Zelensky “has nothing sacred” and “betrayed even a veteran grandfather.” She also accused the Ukrainian president of allegedly creating a threat to veterans who plan to take part in the May 9 events on Red Square.
At the same time, Putin’s press secretary Dmytro Peskov said that Russia “offered a truce to test Kyiv’s readiness for dialogue,” but now expects Ukraine to take steps in response.
It will be recalled that Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on Putin’s proposal for a truce from 00:00 on the night of May 7 to 8 to 00:00 on the night of May 10 to 11, emphasized that he does not speak with the aggressor state on its terms and is not going to be part of another Kremlin information show. He also warned foreign politicians against participating in the May 9 events in Moscow, saying that Russia cannot guarantee their safety.
