Budanov: Ceasefire will continue if Russia reciprocates

Ukraine declared a ceasefire regime from 00:00 on May 6 and is ready to extend it on the condition that the cessation of hostilities becomes mutual.

This was stated by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov on Telegram.

According to Budanov, the truce proposed by Kyiv demonstrates a genuine desire to establish peace — without attachment to dates, for the sake of saving lives and ensuring security.

“If the ceasefire declared by the president is reciprocated, we will continue it. And that will give us, however small, a hope for establishing a lasting peace,” the head of the Presidential Office emphasized.

Budanov also stated that with this step, President Volodymyr Zelensky proved to the entire world his commitment to ending the war, and now Russia must take the next step. “Is Moscow ready to prove that human life holds any value for them? We are closely monitoring every move of the enemy and are prepared for any turn of events,” Budanov noted.

The statements were prompted by an initiative from the Russian side: on May 4, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced Vladimir Putin’s order for a ceasefire on May 8–9 in honor of “Victory Day.” Moscow took this step without any coordination with Kyiv. Russia additionally threatened that if the celebrations were disrupted by attacks, “a massive missile strike would be launched” against the center of the Ukrainian capital.

In response, Zelensky declared a ceasefire regime from 00:00 on May 6, specifying that Ukrainian forces would act in a mirror fashion.