Vladimir Putin has announced a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine between May 8th and 10th.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine between May 8th and 10th for "humanitarian reasons". The Kremlin expects Ukraine to follow through the ceasefire, but has said that they would respond if the ceasefire is violated.
"Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example. In the event of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Russian armed forces will give an adequate and effective response," the Kremlin added.
This comes days after US president Donald Trump posted on his social media, "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying".
The ceasefire is taking place on Russia's Victory Day on May 9th, which marks the end of the Second World War.
Moscow is trying to win back Trump's favour after the US president said he was "very disappointed" after Russia continued to bomb civilian areas in Ukraine. Trump also said that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to give up Crimea for a peace deal with Russia.
In other news, North Korea has confirmed that their troops had been supporting Putin's war against Ukraine, for the first time.
Kim Jong Un, North Korea's Supreme Leader has also added that the deployment meant to "annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area”.
This is not the first time Russia has announced a ceasefire. In April 2025, Putin declared a unilateral Easter truce which only lasted 30 hours, and about which Ukraine was skeptical, as there were ongoing fighting and violations being reported on both sides.
However, the May ceasefire has been announced in advance notice and is longer.
Ukraine said that if Russia "truly wants peace" it should have announced an immediate 30 day ceasefire. Moreover the White House has also said that it wants to see a "permanent ceasefire".
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Monday, "He thinks that he is increasingly frustrated with the leaders of both countries. He wants to see a permanent ceasefire. I understand Vladimir Putin this morning offered a temporary ceasefire", adding, “The president has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed and while he remains optimistic he can strike a deal, he is also being realistic as well and both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this…”
