The Japan Times - Zelensky says won't play Putin's 'games' with short truce

Russia has so far rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire pushed by Kyiv and Washington, which is trying to broker an end to the three-year Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"This is more of a theatrical performance on his part. Because in two or three days, it is impossible to develop a plan for the next steps to end the war," Zelensky said.

Zelensky was speaking on Friday to a small group of journalists including AFP, in remarks embargoed until Saturday.

Zelensky said Ukraine would not be "playing games to create a pleasant atmosphere to allow for Putin's exit from isolation on 9 May," when some foreign leaders are due in Moscow for Russian World War II commemorations.

Russia's proposal has been seen in Ukraine as an attempt to prevent Kyiv from hitting Moscow on the holiday, during which there is a grand military parade on Red Square and the Russian leader addresses the nation.

Ukraine has hit Moscow several times during the invasion, as well as targets across Russia.

- 'Cannot take responsibility' -

Leaders of around 20 countries, including China's Xi Jinping, have accepted invitations to join this year's celebration, according to the Kremlin.

Zelensky said some countries had approached Kyiv, warning they were travelling to Russia and had requested safety.

"Our position is very simple towards all countries that have travelled or are travelling to Russia on May 9 -- we cannot take responsibility for what is happening on the territory of the Russian Federation," he answered.

"They are ensuring your safety," Zelensky said, adding Russia "may take various steps on its part, such as arson, explosions, and so on and then blame us."

Russian officials have promised grand celebrations for the occasion, during which Putin will seek to rally support for his troops fighting in Ukraine.

Russian troops have been making gruelling gains on several parts of the front, and Moscow and Kyiv have stepped up their aerial attacks.

The United States has warned it could abandon efforts to broker a ceasefire if it does not see progress.

Washington is seeking "a complete, durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict", rather than a "three-day moment so you can celebrate something else," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said this week.

Bruce said it would ultimately be up to US President Donald Trump to decide whether to move ahead with diplomatic efforts.

- 'See things differently' -

Trump has overhauled US policy towards Russia since taking office, initiating a rapprochement with the Kremlin.

This culminated in an on-camera clash between Trump and Zelensky at the White House on February 28, where both leaders had been set to sign a mineral deal granting US access to Ukrainian resources in exchange for some protection.

Ukraine has since renegotiated the deal, which would see Washington and Kyiv jointly develop and invest in Ukraine's critical mineral resources.

Zelensky on Friday said the deal was beneficial to both sides and protected Ukraine's interests -- even though the accord offers no concrete security guarantees for Kyiv.

This followed a meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the end of April before Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican, the first encounter since their public clash.

"We had the best conversation out of all those that preceded it," Zelensky said Friday.

"I am confident that after our meeting in the Vatican, President Trump began to look at things a little differently."

K.Nakajima--JT