(LONDON) — U.S. and Russian officials continued Ukraine peace discussions on Monday as the Kremlin announced a 3-day ceasefire during May’s Victory Day celebrations — and as Kyiv cited continued Russian missile and drone attacks as evidence that Moscow has no genuine interest in peace.
On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry released a transcript of an interview with Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov in the Brazilian Newspaper O Globo, in which he set out maximalist demands for a deal.
Among Moscow’s demands, Lavrov reportedly said, are Ukraine’s non-admission to NATO and future non-aligned status and international recognition of Russian control of all Ukrainian regions claimed annexed by the Kremlin — including Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, both of which are only partially occupied by Russian forces.
Lavrov also said Russia is still seeking the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, the lifting of international sanctions and the return of frozen Russian assets.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lavrov by phone “at Lavrov’s request” on Sunday, the State Department announced on Monday. Rubio has previously said that the U.S. is still evaluating whether the Kremlin is serious about reaching an agreement to end its 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
The conversation was a follow-on to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow last week, with Rubio and Lavrov discussing “next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks” and “the need to end the war now,” per the State Department’s readout.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, on Monday unilaterally announced a ceasefire to mark Victory Day — the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.
The ceasefire will last from May 8 to May 10, the Kremlin said. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” its statement said. “In the event of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will give an adequate and effective response.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was dismissive of the proposal.
“Russia has consistently rejected everything and continues to manipulate the world, trying to deceive the United States,” he wrote in a statement posted to Telegram.
“Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade,” he continued.
“We value human lives, not parades,” Zelenskyy wrote. “That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8. The ceasefire should not be just for a few days, only to return to killing afterward. It must be immediate, full, and unconditional — for at least 30 days to ensure it is secure and guaranteed. This is the foundation that could lead to real diplomacy.”
Cross-border strikes continued into Tuesday morning, with Ukraine’s air force reporting 100 Russian drones launched into the country overnight. The air force said it shot down 37 of the drones with another 47 lost in flight without causing damage.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 40 Ukrainian drones overnight.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with the slow progress being made on reaching a deal to end the war, an agreement he claimed on the campaign trail he would secure within 24 hours of returning to office.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters he wants a deal to end the war in “two weeks or less,” but later said a little more time might be acceptable. The president added he was “very disappointed” that Russia continued to carry out strikes in Ukraine days after he appealed to Putin to stop the attacks while negotiations continued.
Vice President JD Vance told conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on Monday that he is not certain that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will be reached, but that he remains optimistic.
“The biggest breakthrough is that we’ve got both of them talking about what they would need in order to stop fighting but what one side needs is different from what the other side needs,” Vance said.
“It’s the job of diplomacy to try to bring those two sides together,” Vance added. “I can’t say 100% certainty, Charlie, we’re going to be able to do it, but I do think that we’re trying very hard, and I feel more optimistic about it today than I did two weeks ago, and I feel more optimistic two weeks ago than I did two months ago.”
Vance added that the administration has found itself “frustrated” with Russians and Ukrainians during the peace talks.
“If I could bring people on the inside, I think what they see is that sometimes you’re incredibly frustrated with Ukrainians,” he said. “Sometimes you’re incredibly frustrated with the Russians.”
“You know, that is the nature of the negotiation as you’re going back and forth, and sometimes you just want to throw your hands up, but that’s what President Trump doesn’t let us do,” Vance said.
ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.
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