Russia Rejects Zelensky Ceasefire Proposal: 'Impossible'

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal for an immediate and full 30-day ceasefire is currently "impossible," the Kremlin said, according to Russian state media.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that "without resolving all the nuances, this is impossible" in response to the proposed ceasefire, RIA reported.

Why It Matters

The emerging peace process between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by the U.S., is hanging by a thread. President Donald Trump has threatened to walk away from the process unless material progress is made very soon.

Russia and Ukraine continue to strike each other and are not—publicly, at least—moving much beyond the pro-peace rhetoric coming out of Moscow and Kyiv.

A ceasefire would give space for direct negotiations, but there are substantial blockers to a peace deal, primarily disputes over territorial concessions and the future architecture of Ukraine's security.

What To Know

Putin has declared a unilateral temporary truce to coincide with Russia's "Victory Day" celebrations in May, marking 80 years since the end of World War II. Russian forces will cease fire from midnight into May 8 until midnight on May 10, the Kremlin said.

Peskov said Moscow does not know if Kyiv intends to adhere to Putin's short truce, and the Kremlin had warned before that it would respond if fired on by Ukrainian troops.

He also said starting direct talks with Ukraine is a priority for Russia, which has blamed a "legal ban" by Kyiv on such discussions for blocking progress.

Ukraine has not ruled out direct talks with Russia, but said they can only happen once there is a mutual ceasefire in place.

The White House noted Putin's declaration of a truce, but said Trump is "increasingly frustrated" by the leaders in Moscow and Kyiv, and wants a permanent pause to hostilities.

"The president has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first, to stop the killings, stop the bloodshed," Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, said at a press briefing.

"And while he remains optimistic he can strike a deal, he's also being realistic as well. Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this."

Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, responded to Putin's Victory Day truce with a repeat of Kyiv's demand for an immediate ceasefire.

"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately," Sybiha posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"Why wait until May 8th? If the fire can be ceased now and since any date for 30 days—so it is real, not just for a parade. Ukraine is ready to support a lasting, durable, and full ceasefire. And this is what we are constantly proposing, for at least 30 days."

What People Are Saying

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week would be "very critical." The U.S. needs to "make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in," he said on NBC's Meet the Press.

Elena Davlikanova, a fellow on the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis think tank, said of a potential truce: "The real fight will continue since Russia's hybrid war will not stop and its strategic aims remain unchanged. The true clash on the peace deal's specifics is yet to come, making any ceasefire fragile, if even possible."

What's Next

There continue to be discussions between diplomats from the U.S. with those from Ukraine and Russia. Trump believes a deal is close and has urged direct, high-level talks to get it over the line.

If they can do it before his patience expires is an open question.