Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of representatives from other countries at the World War II commemoration ceremony in Moscow on May 9, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
“We cannot bear responsibility for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” he told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
He warned that Russia could carry out arson attacks or set off explosives and blame them on Kiev, emphasizing that Ukraine behaves “very prudently and respectfully towards other countries.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed Zelensky’s remarks as a “classic threat from a terrorist of international stature,” in a post on Telegram.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a unilateral ceasefire for May 8 to 11 to coincide with the annual Victory Parade on Moscow’s Red Square to mark the end of World War II, which is celebrated in Russia on May 9.
Moscow rejected a proposal by Kiev to extend the ceasefire to a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians were reportedly killed in its war against Ukraine , but Putin has successfully exploited alliances with other authoritarian countries such as China, Iran and North Korea to obtain needed military materiel and mercenaries. Several Chinese and North Koreans mercenaries who were fighting for Russia were arrested in Ukraine .
Zelensky mentioned no names and offered no further details but his comments follow his earlier remarks that Russia was worried about what might happen during the event and a warning by the European Union urging its leaders not to attend.
Leaders of former Soviet countries and allies such as China typically attend, and for this year’s 80th anniversary, Putin called for a three-day ceasefire which Zelensky has rejected.
The Ukrainian leader told journalists that unnamed countries had asked Kyiv about the safety of going to Moscow for the event but that Ukraine cannot be responsible for what happens on Russian territory.
Yahoo News