On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine that would begin May 8 at midnight Moscow time to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory against Nazi Germany in World War II.
“By order of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the Russian side, guided by humanitarian motives, announces a ceasefire for the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War to last from May 8, 00:00 Moscow time to May 11, 00:00 Moscow time,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The statement added that Russia expects Ukraine to follow the ceasefire and that in the event of any “violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will give a proportionate and efficient response.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticized the Russian announcement, saying if Putin really wanted peace, he would declare a ceasefire “immediately.”
“Why wait until May 8? If the fire can be ceased now and since any date for 30 days—so it is real, not just for a parade,” Sybiha wrote on X. “Ukraine is ready to support a lasting, durable, and full ceasefire. And this is what we are constantly proposing, for at least 30 days.”
Putin similarly declared a ceasefire on Easter, but both sides accused the other of violating it.
The announcement from Putin came after President Trump said that he believed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be willing to cede his claim to Crimea, which has been under Russian control since 2014, to reach a potential peace deal. Publicly, Zelensky has maintained that he would never recognize Crimea as Russian territory.
Trump and Zelensky had a brief meeting at the Vatican on Saturday while they were there to attend Pope Francis’s funeral. After the meeting, Trump suggested he might add more sanctions on Russia.
