Dmitry Medvedev has issued a thinly veiled threat that Russia will destroy Kyiv if Ukraine attacks Moscow during Victory Day celebrations on May 9. On his Telegram channel, the Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council said on Saturday (May 3) that "nobody will be able to guarantee Kyiv will live to see May 10".

His warning came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine couldn't guarantee the safety of any foreign dignitaries visiting Moscow for Victory Day, when the country will mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union and allied defeat of Nazi Germany in World War 2. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to host world leaders including China's President Xi Jinping for the celebrations. Putin on Monday (April 28) unilaterally declared a three-day ceasefire to run from May 8 to May 10.

The BBC's Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, tweeted earlier this week that it didn't sound as if Moscow was ready to end the conflict, pointing to Russian media reports as evidence.

He cited reports from Russian newspapers suggesting Russia should "rout" Ukrainian soldiers with the help of North Korean troops.

But Mr Zelensky said he would only accept Putin's ceasefire offer as long as it lasted for 30 days, which the Russian leader had already dismissed under a proposal from the Trump administration.

Ukraine's leader said Moscow’s announcement of a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week was just a bid to create a "soft atmosphere" ahead of Russia’s annual celebrations.

He said: "It looks unserious so that Putin’s guests on Red Square feel comfortable and safe."

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine cannot provide security guarantees to foreign dignitaries planning to visit Russia around May 9, warning Moscow could stage provocations and later attempt to blame Ukraine.

Ukraine's leader said some governments had approached Kyiv seeking reassurances on safety while their delegations are in Russia.

He said: "Our position is very simple: we cannot take responsibility for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation. They are the ones providing your security and we will not be offering any guarantees."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Mr Zelensky had "unequivocally" threatened the world leaders who were planning to arrive in Moscow on May 9.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday (May 3) that Moscow expects Kyiv to take steps to de-escalate before Victory Day.

Medvedev, who served as Russian president between 2008 and 2012, described Mr Zelensky's comment as a "verbal provocation".

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that officials in Washington have drawn up fresh sanctions against Russia to ramp up pressure on Putin to end the war.

Citing sources in the US, the news agency said the sanctions would target Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom, major bodies involved in natural resources and banks.

The sanctions would have to be signed off by US President Donald Trump, who appears to have grown increasingly frustrated with Putin's unwillingness to follow his advice and end the conflict.

Mr Trump has expressed sympathy for Russia and repeated talking points which echo the Kremlin's own narrative justifying the war, but Putin's spurning of his calls for a ceasefire and peace talks have prompted an apparent toughening of the US president's stance.