Russian President Vladimir Putin has has declared a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine between May 8 to 11, to time with commemorations marking 80 years since the end of World War II, state media reported Monday.
“Based on humanitarian considerations, during the days of the 80th anniversary of the Victory -from zero hours from May 7 to 8 to zero hours from May 10 to 11- the Russian side declares a truce,” the Kremlin said in a statement according to state-run TASS news agency.
“For this period all hostilities are stopped. Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow suit. In the event of violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will give an adequate and effective response,” the statement said.
The Kremlin added that it “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.”
The 72-hour truce is the second announced from Russia in recent weeks, after it declared a 30-hour Easter Sunday ceasefire -which both sides accused each other of violating.
The Kremlin’s announcement comes after US president Donald Trump said he was “very disappointed” in Russia’s continued bombardment of civilian areas in Ukraine.
It also follows a private talk between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Pope Francis funeral at the Vatican on Saturday.
The two men had a 15-minute private discussion in a hall of the St. Peter’s Basilica which the White House described as “very productive” while Zelensky called it “very symbolic” with the potential to “become historic”.
“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered,” Zelensky wrote. “Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”
On April 25, Trump said that Russia and Ukraine are very close to a deal. That was in contrast to a previous week statement that the U.S. would walk away from the talks “within days” if it becomes clear a deal cannot be reached.
This was after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for three hours on the same day. The Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were “constructive and very useful,” CNN reported.
Zelensky said, “We are ready for dialogue, I emphasize again, in any format with anyone, only after a real signal that Russia is ready to end the war. Such a signal is a complete and unconditional ceasefire.”
The war between Russia and Ukraine has been raging for three years and has cost the lives of thousands on both sides.
President Trump has has made a Ukraine-Russia peace deal a priority since his January 20 inauguration. He spent the months leading up to his election promising to end the war in 24 hours and has repeatedly boasted about his ability to secure a peace deal.
