Question: On May 6, US President’s Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said in an interview with Fox News that President Vladimir Putin’s disagreement with this proposal was the only obstacle to establishing a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. What is your comment?

Maria Zakharova: The statement made by US President’s Special Envoy Keith Kellogg during an interview with Fox News on May 6 surprised us. Russia has never been opposed to a ceasefire. Moreover, we have declared it twice. In March, we supported President Trump’s initiative for a 30-day moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, and in April, we declared an Easter ceasefire. Had Kiev complied, it could have been a step towards a long-term ceasefire.

Unfortunately, Kiev sabotaged both. The Ukrainian Armed Forces violated the moratorium 136 times and the Easter ceasefire nearly 5,000 times, indicating either the Kiev regime’s inability to stick to agreements or its lack of control over its own military.

We have also repeatedly stated that establishing a ceasefire across the contact line which is about 1,200 km long, more than the distance between Washington D.C. and Chicago, for such an extended period, 30 days, involves a host of subtleties that need much time and attention. It is important to ensure effective monitoring of compliance with the ceasefire, to prevent this time from being used to build up the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ combat capacity, or to expedite mobilisation and arms supplies. Otherwise, 30 days later, the conflict will flare up with renewed vigour. We are confident that neither Keith Kellogg, nor President Trump want things turn out that way.

Thus, Kiev remains the only obstacle to a ceasefire. It violates agreements and is unwilling to seriously discuss the terms of a long-term ceasefire. What the Ukrainian Armed Forces will do during the 72-hour May 8-10 ceasefire, declared by President Putin for Victory Day, will show if Kiev is truly seeking peace.