The Russian leader, Vladmir Putin, has announced a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine to commence on May 8, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the second world war. The Kremlin says “all hostilities will be suspended” during this period and has made it clear it expects Ukraine to follow suit.
Ukraine responded by calling for an immediate month-long ceasefire and questioned Russia’s commitment to lasting peace. In a post on social media, Ukraine’s foreign secretary, Andrii Sybiha, wrote: “If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately … Why wait until May 8th?”
The ceasefire announcement followed two important developments. On April 18, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, claimed that President Donald Trump was growing impatient and was likely to abandon peace efforts within days if there was no progress.
