Amid stalled negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a three-day ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. According to The Washington Post, Moscow expects the Ukrainian side to observe the ceasefire as well.
According to a statement published by the Kremlin on Monday, the ceasefire will begin on May 8 and end on May 10. “Based on humanitarian considerations, the Russian side declares a ceasefire during the 80th anniversary of Victory Day,” reads President Putin’s statement on the official Kremlin website. The document emphasizes: “All hostilities are to be stopped during this period.”
The Kremlin also expressed its expectation that Ukraine would show similar readiness to observe the ceasefire. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” the statement continues. At the same time, Moscow warned: “In case of violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will deliver an adequate and effective response.”
At the time of publication, Ukraine had not officially commented on Putin’s ceasefire initiative.
The United States Discusses Its Next Steps
The ceasefire comes during an important week for U.S. foreign policy decisions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that in the coming days, the White House would determine whether to continue efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict or shift its focus to other pressing international issues. In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rubio noted: “This week is going to be really important: we have to decide whether we want to continue being involved in this endeavor, or if it’s time to focus on other issues that are equally if not more important.”
As The Washington Post points out, Russian political commentators are skeptical that U.S. President Donald Trump will manage to end the war in Ukraine within his first 100 days in office—a timeline previously voiced by Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg. Pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov emphasized in his Telegram post: “Putin’s truce on Victory Day means that no general long-term truce will be declared in April. This indicates that negotiations are still far from over. Russia is defending its demands at the negotiations. And this means that Trump will not be able to declare a ceasefire in Ukraine by his 100th day in office.”
Negotiations Continue, but Outstanding Issues Remain
Meanwhile, Trump’s special representative for Russia, Steve Witkoff, held his fourth meeting with Putin in recent weeks. According to The Washington Post, Witkoff previously presented European leaders with a draft plan that offers several concessions to Russia, including U.S. recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The Kremlin disclosed few details about the three-hour meeting between Witkoff and Putin, describing it only as “constructive” and noting that the discussion touched on the possibility of direct Russia-Ukraine talks.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” suggested that a swift agreement was unlikely. “We are ready to reach an agreement,” Lavrov said. “But there are still some specific points—elements of this deal that need to be fine-tuned.”
This article was prepared based on materials published by The Washington Post. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
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