Washington boosts Ukraine’s defenses, Zelensky rejects Putin’s “theatrical” ceasefire

Is US President Donald Trump turning the tables on Ukraine? On Sunday, the New York Times reported that Washington would be sending Kyiv a Patriot air defense system being refurbished in Israel, while Greece and Germany are discussing whether to furnish another one. The US deal was apparently struck under the Biden administration but had not been announced; when asked about it, the White House commented only that Trump “wants the war in Ukraine to end and the killing to stop.”

The news comes after Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine, and mere days after Kyiv signed a long-awaited minerals deal with the White House. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is open to a ceasefire but rejected Moscow’s proposal for a three-day pause as “a theatrical performance.” He emphasized the need for a 30-day truce to facilitate any meaningful talk of peace – a position Washington supports as well.

But those talks could still prove elusive. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Moscow possesses the strength to bring the war to its “logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.” All eyes are now on Russia’s Red Square Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9 – at which Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders will be in attendance – and for which Ukraine has offered no safety guarantees. The deputy head of Russia’s security council, Dmitri A. Medvedev, posted to Telegram that, “in the event of a real provocation on Victory Day, nobody guarantees Kyiv will see May 10.”