MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a three-day ceasefire in May in the war with Ukraine to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War Two (WWII).

The Kremlin said the 72-hour ceasefire would run on May 8, May 9 - when Putin will host international leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping for lavish celebrations to commemorate victory over Nazi Germany - and May 10.

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.

The White House said President Donald Trump wanted a permanent ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

White House pushes for ‘permanent ceasefire’

Against a background of increasing US impatience, Putin’s move appeared aimed at signalling that Russia is still interested in peace - something that Ukraine and its European allies dispute.

“All military actions are suspended for this period. Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” the Kremlin said in a statement on the May 8-10 ceasefire.

“In the event of violations by the Ukrainian side, Russia’s armed forces will give an adequate and effective response.” It was the second unilateral truce announcement that Putin has made in quick succession, following a 30-hour Easter ceasefire that each side accused the other of violating countless times.

It came after Trump criticised Putin for a deadly Russian attack on Kyiv last week and voiced concern at the weekend that Putin was “just tapping me along”. Washington has repeatedly threatened to abandon its peace efforts unless there is real progress.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who met Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome on Saturday, has said Kyiv would be ready to hold talks with Moscow once a ceasefire deal has stopped the fighting.

Ukraine’s Sybiha said Kyiv had been “constantly proposing” a ceasefire for at least 30 days. Russia has said it wants a full settlement, not a pause.

The Kremlin 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 signal for direct talks should come from Ukraine, as it currently had a “legal ban” on negotiating with Putin.

He was referring to a 2022 decree in which Zelenskiy ruled out such negotiations, after Russia had claimed four Ukrainian regions as its own in an action condemned as illegal by most countries at the United Nations.

Ukraine accuses Russia of playing for time in order to try to seize more of its territory, and has urged greater international pressure to get Moscow to stop fighting.

Russia accuses Ukraine of being unwilling to make any concessions and of seeking a ceasefire only on its own terms.

Trump on Sunday urged Russia to stop its attacks in Ukraine and suggested Zelenskiy was ready to give up Crimea, which Russia seized from it in 2014.

Zelenskiy said earlier this month that doing so would violate Ukraine’s constitution. Kyiv has not commented on Trump’s comments on Sunday regarding Crimea.

Trump wants permanent ceasefire

US President Donald Trump wants to see a permanent ceasefire to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.

Leavitt told reporters that Trump was increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and both needed to come to the negotiating table to end the war.

She noted that Putin had offered a temporary ceasefire on Monday, but reiterated that the US president had made it clear that he was seeking a permanent ceasefire.

Lavrov says ball not in Russia’s court

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Brazilian newspaper, O Globo, published on Monday that “we remain open to negotiations, but the ball is not in our court. So far, Kyiv has not demonstrated its ability to negotiate”, he said, adding Moscow’s position on the conflict was “well-known”.

“International recognition of Russia’s ownership of Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is imperative,” he said, using the Kremlin’s names for the Ukrainian regions.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2025