Russia announces 3-day Ukraine war ceasefire next week for WW II commemoration
Russia says it will cease hostilities May 8-10
The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the full cessation of hostilities in the Ukraine war on "humanitarian grounds" as Russia celebrates the Victory Day over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
The truce will start just after midnight on May 8.
"Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example," the Kremlin said in a statement. "In case of violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side, the Russian armed forces will give an adequate and efficient response."
Ukraine's foreign minister dismissed Putin's move.
"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately," said Andrii Sybiha, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Sybiha emphasized that Kyiv is ready for a "lasting, reliable and complete ceasefire" for at least 30 full days.
"Why wait for May 8? If we can cease fire now from any date and for 30 days — so that it is real, and not just for a parade," he said without specifying whether Ukraine would be ready to accept the Moscow-proposed truce.
Putin's announcement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has made efforts to broker a peace deal in the war, which is now in its fourth year.
Until now, Putin had refused to accept a complete unconditional ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies to Ukraine and Ukraine's mobilization effort.
Putin thanks North Korea for war aid
Prior to the Kremlin announcement, Ukraine and Russia had targeted each other with long-range strikes early on Monday.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces downed 119 Ukrainian drones overnight, most of them over Russia's Bryansk border region.
In Ukraine, air raid sirens rang out across the country on Monday morning. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The outcome of a push by the Trump administration to swiftly end the fighting remains unclear, clouded by conflicting claims from American officials, and doubts about how much each side might be willing to compromise amid deep hostility and mistrust.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that this week would be "very critical." The U.S. needs to "make a determination about whether this is an endeavour that we want to continue to be involved in," he said on NBC's Meet the Press.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the war in a phone call with Rubio on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
U.S. military aid has been crucial for Ukraine's war effort, and further help could be at risk if the Trump administration walks away from attempts to end the war.
Trump said on the weekend that he harbours doubts about Putin's sincerity in pursuing a deal, as Russian forces have continued to strike civilian areas of Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles while the talks have proceeded. But on Friday, Trump described a brokered settlement on the war as "close."
Western European officials have accused the Kremlin of dragging its feet on peace talks so that Russian forces, which are bigger than Ukraine's and have battlefield momentum, can capture more Ukrainian land.
The war that broke out after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 has developed a significant international dimension, further complicating negotiations. Putin on Monday thanked North Korea for sending what the U.S. estimates are thousands of troops to help fight Ukraine, as well as allegedly supplying artillery ammunition.
Putin's comments came as North Korea's media organs for the first time confirmed the country's participation in the war, with leader Kim Jong-Un praising the fighters "as heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland," according to state news agency KCNA.