RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin said he would observe a three-day ceasefire in his war with Ukraine in May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union and its allies’ victory in World War II.
Kremlin announced a 72-hour ceasefire on Monday, April 28, in a statement stating that the break was scheduled for May 8 to 10 when Putin is set to host international leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, for grand celebrations marking the victory over Nazi Germany.
“All military actions are suspended for this period. Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” the Kremlin said.
It added that “In the event of violations by the Ukrainian side, Russia’s armed forces will give an adequate and effective response.
The ICIR reports that this marks the second unilateral truce declared by Putin in less than two weeks, following a 30-hour Easter ceasefire that both sides repeatedly accused each other of violating.
The latest announcement followed criticism from Trump over a deadly Russian attack on Kyiv last week, as well as his weekend remarks expressing concern that Putin was “just tapping me along.” Washington has repeatedly warned it might abandon its peace efforts if genuine progress is made.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, in response, said: “If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8th?”
A ceasefire should be “real, not just for a parade,” he posted on X.
Similarly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who met with Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome on Saturday, April 26, stated that Kyiv would be prepared to enter talks with Moscow once a ceasefire agreement has brought the fighting to a halt.
Ukraine’s Sybiha said Kyiv had been “consistently proposing” a ceasefire lasting at least 30 days, while Russia maintained that it sought a full resolution to the conflict, not just a temporary pause.
The Kremlin latest statement said: “The Russian side once again declares its readiness for peace talks without preconditions, aimed at eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, and constructive interaction with international partners.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier that the initiative for direct talks should come from Ukraine, noting that the country had a “legal ban” on negotiations with Putin.
He was referring to a 2022 decree in which Zelenskiy barred negotiations with Putin, following Russia’s claim over four Ukrainian regions, an action widely condemned as illegal by most United Nations member states.
The ICIR reports that both nations have continued to trade blame over the ceasefire negotiations.
Ukraine accuses Russia of stalling to gain more territory and has called for increased international pressure to force Moscow to end the fighting, while Russia claims Ukraine is unwilling to make any concessions and is seeking a ceasefire solely on its own terms.
On Sunday, April 27, Trump urged Russia to halt its attacks in Ukraine and suggested that Zelenskiy was willing to concede Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Recall that earlier this month, Zelenskiy said that conceding Crimea would violate Ukraine’s constitution. Kyiv has yet to comment on Trump’s remarks about Crimea.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.