JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday a ceasefire with Russia in a war that had been going on for more than three years could be carried out at any time, asking Kyiv allies to put greater pressure on Moscow to impose such action.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Prague with Czech President Petr Pavel, President Zelensky said, unless greater pressure was imposed, Kremlin Leader Vladimir Putin would not take concrete steps to end the conflict.
"We believe without greater pressure, Russia will not take any real practical steps to end the war. Today marks the 54th day Russia ignores even America's proposal to completely stop firing," President Zelensky told reporters.
"We believe that a ceasefire can be carried out at any time, even starting today, and should last at least 30 days to provide a real opportunity for diplomacy," he added.
President Putin last week announced a three-day ceasefire on May 8-10, marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's and Allied victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
President Zelensky said such action was useless and instead called for an unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days in line with US proposals launched in March.
The Czech government has been a strong supporter of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and has led the initiative to supply Ukraine with large caliber ammunition.
Ukrainian president said instead of showing off tanks at the May 9 winning parade, (President) Putin should have thought "about how to end his war".
"Three things are needed. More sanctions on Russia, continued support for Ukraine, and a significant increase in defense cooperation across Europe," he said.
"Russia should know that Europeans will defend themselves."
Moscow said it wanted an unambiguous answer from President Zelensky for the three-day offer.
In turn, President Pavel said Russia had not shown any indication that it wanted to continue the steps to end the war.
"If someone has all the cards in their hands to end the war, then it is President Putin, who can do it with a decision," he told reporters.
"But so far the desire has not appeared," said President Pavel.
Under military initiatives, the Czechs have used their diplomatic, business and industrial expertise to find large-caliber ammunition around the world and sent it to Ukraine with funding from NATO allies.
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President Pavel said in February Ukraine had received 1.6 million rounds of large-caliber ammunition last year.
President Zelensky said Ukraine hopes to receive 1.8 million bullets based on program initiatives by 2025
In a previous social media post, President Zelensky praised the initiative as "effective" and said cooperation would also be pursued on military flights, expanding pilot training programs and supporting Ukraine's F-16 fleet of aircraft.
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