In addition to his speech on the ceasefire, Mr. Zelensky also called on Kiev's allies to increase pressure for Moscow to do so, according to Reuters. He made the statement at a joint press conference on May 4 in Prague with Czech President Petr Pavel.
Mr Zelensky stressed that without greater international pressure, Russian President Vladimir Putin would not take any practical action to end the conflict.
Today is the 54th day that Russia has ignored the proposal for a full ceasefire, Zelensky said, asserting that a ceasefire lasting at least 30 days would create an opportunity for real diplomatic efforts.
Previously, Russian President Putin announced a 3-day ceasefire from May 8-10 on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies overthrowing socialist Germany.
However, Mr Zelensky said such a short-term ceasefire was meaningless and continued to call for an unconditional 1-month ceasefire, in line with the proposal made in March.
In Prague, President Zelensky also called for increased sanctions against Russia, continued support for Ukraine and promoted defense cooperation between European countries. Instead of showing off tanks during the May 9 parade, Putin should think about how to truly end the conflict, he said.
For his part, Czech President Petr Pavel said Russia had not shown any signs of wanting to end the conflict. If there is one person who can end this conflict with just one decision, it is Mr. Putin. But so far, that will has not appeared, he commented.
The Czech government has been one of the strong supporters of Ukraine since the conflict broke out in 2022, especially with the initiative to provide large-scale ammunition. According to Mr. Pavel, Ukraine received 1.6 million bullets from the program last year and hopes to receive an additional 1.8 million in 2025. Mr. Zelensky called this an "effective" initiative, and said that he would continue to cooperate in training pilots and supporting Ukraine's F-16 aircraft fleet.
Ukrainian President Zelensky also mentioned upcoming meetings to push Russia towards a ceasefire. He said he discussed the air defense and sanctions against Russia with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of papal Francis's funeral on April 26, in which both sides agreed that a 30-day ceasefire was a necessary first step.
