Zelensky has in turn rejected Russia's unilateral three-day ceasefire and said that Ukraine will not guarantee the safety of a celebratory military parade in Moscow's Red Square on 9 May. The Russian proposal has been met with widespread cynicism in Ukraine, where polls consistently suggest that about 95% of the population distrusts Russia.

President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Sunday that Russia had sufficient strength and resources to take the war in Ukraine to its logical conclusion, though he hoped that there would be no need to use nuclear weapons.

Former US President Joe Biden has described his successor Donald Trump’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine as a modern form of appeasement, warning that this could encourage other European countries to begin making concessions to Russia.