At a late Saturday news conference in Moscow, he said Russian officials warned Washington to protect US diplomats in Kyiv if Ukraine struck during the Victory Day parade.
Putin said Moscow's threat of retaliation over any attack on the annual celebration helped bring about the temporary truce between Russia and Ukraine.
The remarks link the ceasefire to security concerns around Russia's flagship wartime commemoration, underscoring the role of US contacts in managing escalation risks.
If Russian threats forced a ceasefire, why did Moscow scale back its own Victory Day parade in fear of attack?
With breaches already reported, is this US-brokered ceasefire doomed to fail like previous attempts?
Was a three-day truce simply the price Kyiv paid to bring 1,000 of its prisoners of war home?