Mr Zelensky said the ceasefire could be implemented at any time.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 4 that a ceasefire with Russia in the more than three-year war could be implemented at any time and called on Kiev's allies to put more pressure on Moscow to implement the measure.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Prague with Czech President Petr Pavel, Mr Zelensky said that unless pressure was increased, Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin would not take any real steps to end the conflict.
"We believe that without increased pressure, Russia will not take real practical steps to end the war. Today marks the 54th day that Russia has ignored even the US proposal for a full ceasefire," Zelensky told reporters. "We believe that a ceasefire is possible at any time, even starting today, and should last at least 30 days to give diplomacy a real chance."
Mr Putin last week declared a three-day ceasefire on May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union and its allies' victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Mr Zelensky said such a measure was pointless and instead called for an unconditional ceasefire lasting at least 30 days in line with a US proposal made in March.
The Czech government has been a strong supporter of Kiev since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine in 2022, and has led an initiative to supply large-caliber artillery shells to Ukraine.
According to Reuters, the Ukrainian president said that Mr. Putin should think "about how to really end the war." "Three things are needed. More sanctions against Russia, continued support for Ukraine, and significantly increased defense cooperation across Europe," he said. "Russia must know that Europeans will defend themselves."
Moscow said it wanted a clear answer from Mr Zelensky to its three-day ceasefire proposal.
Mr Pavel said Russia had yet to show any signs of wanting to take steps to end the war. "If there is someone who holds all the cards to end the war, it is President Putin, who can do it with a single decision," he told reporters. "But so far that will has not appeared."
As part of the military initiative, the Czechs used their diplomatic, business and industrial expertise to source large-caliber artillery shells around the world and ship them to Ukraine with funding from NATO allies.
Mr. Pavel said in February that Ukraine had received 1.6 million large-caliber artillery shells over the past year.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine hopes to receive 1.8 million artillery shells under the initiative by 2025.
In an earlier social media post, Mr Zelensky praised the initiative as “effective” and said cooperation would also be pursued in the field of military aviation, expanding pilot training programs, and supporting Ukraine’s F-16 fleet.
Mr Zelensky, accompanied by First Lady Olena Zelenska on the trip, will meet Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on May 5, and the Czech ammunition supply operation is one of the topics on the agenda.
The Ukrainian leader said on social media site X on May 3 that he is preparing for upcoming foreign policy meetings focused on pushing Russia to implement the ceasefire.
He also said he discussed air defense systems and sanctions against Russia with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican on April 26. The two sides agreed that a 30-day ceasefire was the right first step to ending the war.
