Russia said on Saturday that fighting had been taking place in four regions of Ukraine despite this week's unilateral ceasefire by Moscow, saying its troops had been forced to respond to Ukrainian attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine was ready to accept a U.S. proposal for a 30-day cease-fire, provided Russia did the same

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine was ready to meet for talks with Russia — but only after Vladimir Putin agrees to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which the Russian president so far hasn’t done.

Moscow's grand avenues, like every year in early May, were taken over by the growling of 80-year-old tanks and the smell of gasoline burned by military vehicles. To the delight of many locals, soldiers marched in multiple rehearsals for the May 9 Victory Day Parade in the week leading up to the actual event.

This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent.