Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered a truce with Ukraine on May 8-10 to coincide with Moscow’s World War II commemorations, drawing ire from Ukraine which demanded Moscow pause hostilities immediately.
The announcement came as the United States scaled up efforts to broker an end to the three-year conflict, warning this week would be “critical” for determining whether peace was possible.
Putin last month rejected a US proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire while US President Donald Trump has threatened to “pass” on peace talks if he does not see progress soon.
Photo: AFP
Trump’s spokeswoman said Monday that he wanted to see “a permanent ceasefire” and that the White House chief was becoming “increasingly frustrated” with the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine.
“The Russian side is declaring a ceasefire during the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, from midnight on May 7-8 to midnight on May 10-11. All combat operations will be suspended during this period,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Kremlin said it expected Kyiv to issue a similar order and that it stood ready to respond to any violations of the possible halt in fighting.
Putin made a similar order to stop combat over Easter -- a truce that both sides accused the other of violating hundreds of times but did lead to a temporary reduction in fighting.
Ukraine said that it wanted an immediate truce with Russia for “at least 30 days”, asking why Moscow would delay a three-day pause in hostilities to May.
“If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8th?” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on X.
Since launching its Ukraine offensive in February 2022, Russia has seized large parts of four Ukrainian regions and claimed them as its own, in addition to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
‘TAPPING ME ALONG’
Putin’s order of a ceasefire comes at the beginning of what the United States indicated would be a crucial week that could determine how long Washington keeps trying to broker a deal.
After a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, Trump questioned whether the Russian leader was serious about peace.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along,” Trump had said on Truth Social.
Russian missiles have killed dozens of civilians over the last month in large-scale strikes on Zelensky’s home city of Kryvyi Rig, the northeastern city of Sumy and the capital Kyiv.
Russia had earlier on Monday said it was ready to negotiate directly with Ukraine but that recognition of its claims over five Ukrainian regions including Crimea were “imperative” to resolving the conflict.
“The ball is not in our court. So far, Kyiv has not demonstrated its ability to negotiate,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Brazilian newspaper O Globo.
Ukraine has denounced Russia’s annexations as an illegal land grab and says it will never recognise them while European officials have warned that accepting Moscow’s demands set a dangerous precedent that could lead to future Russian aggression.
Zelensky said last Friday that Ukraine would “not legally recognise any temporarily occupied territories” and has previously called Moscow’s demand for Kyiv to demilitarise “incomprehensible”.
KURSK RETAKEN
Trump, who boasted before his inauguration he could halt Russia’s assault on Ukraine within “24 hours”, launched a diplomatic offensive to stop the fighting after taking office in January.
But the White House has voiced frustration with both sides, as the conflict that has devastated swathes of eastern Ukraine and killed tens of thousands of people drags on.
Trump is “increasingly frustrated with leaders of both countries”, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks on the fighting since the start of Moscow’s offensive in 2022.
Early Monday, a Russian attack on a Ukrainian village near the frontline city of Pokrovsk killed a married couple and another local resident, regional prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, Russia over the weekend announced it had taken full control of its Kursk region with the help of North Korean troops, more than eight months after Kyiv launched a cross-border ground assault.
Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday for help with the operation, which has denied Kyiv a key bargaining chip in future talks with Moscow.
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