Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a three-day ceasefire on Monday in May to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory during the Second World War, in the midst of continuous hostilities with Ukraine.
The Kremlin said that the 72-hour unilateral ceasefire would take effect around May 9, coinciding with victory day celebrations in Moscow, where Putin should welcome international leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“All military actions are suspended for this period. Russia considers that the Ukrainian party should follow this example,” the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that any violation of Ukraine would cause an “adequate and effective” response of the Russian forces.
Ukraine has not yet officially responded to the announcement. He follows a cease-fire of 30 hours previous during Orthodox Easter that the two parties accused themselves of rape.
This decision seemed to report the will of Russia to dialogue, in particular for American President Donald Trump, who has increasingly criticized Moscow’s actions.
During the weekend, Trump expressed his concern that Putin “tapped me just” without real commitment to peace, following a deadly Russian strike on kyiv last week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who met Trump during Pope Francis funeral to Rome on Saturday, argued that kyiv would join talks that once the ceasefire in place.
Before the ceasefire announcement, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, accused Russia of continuing attacks despite the allegations of peace research.
“Russia does not cease fire to the front and attacks Ukraine with Shaheds at the moment,” said Yermak on Telegram, referring to Iranian manufacturing drones deployed by Russian forces.
The Kremlin reiterated on Monday that it was ready for the peace talks “without prerequisites”, stressing the need to eliminate the “deep causes of the Ukrainian crisis”.
However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said negotiations could only start if Kyiv reversed a decree in 2022 prohibiting talks with Putin after Russia annexation complaints in four Ukrainian regions.
Ukraine has accused Russia of using calls for ceasefies to buy time to consolidate territorial gains, while Moscow accuses kyiv of having demanded unacceptable terms for Russia.
Tensions remain high while the two parties are preparing for the symbolic date of May 9, with little sign of a lasting resolution in the conflict.
