"Putin wants to steal a few hours to have a parade on May 9, after which Ukrainian cities and infrastructure will be hit with even greater fury." This was said by Vasil Danov, captain 1st rank from the reserve and member of the Atlantic Council leadership, in the program "Bulgaria, Europe and the World in Focus" on Radio FOCUS with host Tsonya Sabcheva.
The reason for the comment was the information about a possible temporary ceasefire around May 9, which appeared after a telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to these data, Moscow could announce a short pause in hostilities around the date of the military parade in Moscow.
Danov expressed doubt that such an initiative is related to real peace negotiations, emphasizing that Ukraine remains outside the direct dialogue, and mediation is carried out through figures who are not direct participants in the war.
According to him, the pressure on Ukraine continues while there are no real signs of a political solution to the conflict. "They are pressuring the victim in the war to hand over what they want, because otherwise it would become even more terrible," Danov said.
He added that internal tensions in Russia are also growing, including criticism from the military-industrial complex and political figures for the lack of decisive successes. The conversation also touched on the heavy economic cost of the war, which, according to estimates, reaches enormous proportions and is seriously burdening the Russian economy.
Regarding the prospects for peace, he was categorical that at the moment there are no real indications of the start of negotiations. "I can't say when. There should be one at some point, but so far no one is talking about near-term prospects," he said.
According to him, any possible ceasefire around May 9 would be limited and tactical in nature, without representing a lasting step towards sustainable peace. "This does not look like the beginning of a peace process, but like a short pause for propaganda purposes," he added.