Since the beginning of the day, the number of attacks carried out by the aggressor has reached 51, according to the Ukrainian military. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that “despite the ceasefire declaration, Ukrainian armed groups have launched attacks using drones and artillery.” Drones fired by Russia killed two civilians and injured three in the regions of Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk in central Ukraine, as reported by local authorities.
Prisoner Exchange in Question
Shortly after Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday, Kiev and Moscow confirmed they had agreed to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange. However, Vladimir Putin stated on Saturday evening that Russia had not yet received a proposal from Ukraine regarding the exchange. “We are counting on the Ukrainian side to respond to the proposal made by the President of the United States. Unfortunately, we have not yet received any proposal to this day,” Vladimir Putin told journalists.
Vladimir Putin also assured that the war in Ukraine was “coming to an end” and criticized Western countries for their support to Kiev.
He also denounced on Saturday morning, during a brief speech on Red Square for the May 9, 1945 commemorations, that his army was facing “aggressive” forces in Ukraine supported by NATO. The parade was marked by the absence of military equipment such as tanks and missile launchers that usually go through the central square of Moscow.
Commemorations and Military Context
The leader addressed hundreds of soldiers gathered on Moscow’s main square. North Korean army personnel, who helped Moscow drive out Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region in the spring of 2025, took part in the commemorations. The parade took place under high security, with mobile internet service suspended in central Moscow. These commemorations are a highly symbolic event allowing Vladimir Putin, who has been in power for twenty-six years, to mobilize the memory of the Soviet victory and rally the Russian population behind the military campaign in Ukraine.
“We must drive the Ukrainians out of our territory,” said Lidia, an 82-year-old Russian retiree, echoing the Kremlin’s discourse claiming the annexation of regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, including Donbass.
In Kiev, Mikhaïlo Porkhatchov, a 29-year-old Ukrainian, said the Russians are not respecting the ceasefire. He recounted speaking on Saturday morning with his parents in Zaporizhia, about twenty kilometers from the front, who told him about “explosions” and air raid sirens in that Ukrainian city.
Continuation of Diplomatic Discussions
According to the Kremlin, only the leaders of Belarus, Malaysia, Laos, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico traveled to Moscow. Discussions resumed this week between Ukrainian and American negotiators in Florida. These talks had taken a back seat since the beginning of the Middle East war. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope for the upcoming visit of American negotiators to Ukraine.
