Russian President Vladimir Putin announced today a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week on the occasion of Victory Day in World War II, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
The AP notes that this came against the backdrop of pressure from the United States to end the war that has been going on for more than three years.
The Kremlin said that the ceasefire, announced for “humanitarian reasons”, will last from midnight on May 7/8 to midnight on May 10/11 to mark Moscow's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, the celebration of which is the largest secular holiday in Russia.
Ukraine, which recently agreed to the proposal of the president of US President Donald Trump has called for a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire, dismissing Putin's move as a distraction.
“If Russia really wants peace, it should immediately cease fire“, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga. He stressed that Kiev is ready for a “lasting, credible and comprehensive ceasefire“ for a period of at least 30 days.
“Why wait for May 8? If we can cease fire now, from any date and for 30 days – "so that it is real, not just for a parade," Szybiga said, without specifying whether Ukraine would be ready to accept Moscow's proposed ceasefire.
The Kremlin has also called on Ukraine to respect the ceasefire.
"Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example," he said, warning that "in case of ceasefire violations by the Ukrainian side, the Russian armed forces will give an adequate and effective response."
The Kremlin announced a similar unilateral 30-hour ceasefire for Easter and Ukraine then expressed readiness to respond reciprocally to any real ceasefire, but said Russian attacks had continued. Moscow, for its part, has accused Ukraine of failing to halt its attacks.
Russia and Ukraine also recently pledged to abide by a 30-day ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration, but the two sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations.
The attempts to negotiate a ceasefire highlight the enormous challenges to enforcing any cessation of hostilities along the more than 1,000-kilometer front line.
Putin has so far refused to accept the proposal for a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies to Ukraine and to Ukrainian mobilization efforts, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The Kremlin said that “the Russian side is once again declaring its readiness for peace talks without preconditions to address the root causes on the Ukrainian crisis, as well as on constructive cooperation with international partners“.
Just before the ceasefire was announced, Ukraine and Russia exchanged blows. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had shot down 119 Ukrainian drones last night, most of them over Russia's Bryansk region. In Ukraine, air raid sirens sounded in many parts of the country this morning. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
It is unclear how the efforts of the administration of US President Donald Trump to quickly end the war will end, as they have been marred by conflicting statements and doubts about the extent to which each side is willing to compromise amid significant hostility and mistrust.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that this week would be “very critical” and that, he said, America must “decide whether this is an endeavor we want to continue to be involved in“.
Trump said over the weekend that he had doubts about Putin's sincerity amid Russian forces' strikes on civilian areas in Ukraine as talks continued.
But he said on Friday that an agreement to settle the war “is close“.