Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a new temporary ceasefire in his war on Ukraine to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II, drawing criticism from the US as it seeks to negotiate a peace deal.
The three-day truce will start on May 8 and end at midnight on May 10, the Kremlin said on its Telegram channel on Monday. Russia remains ready to hold peace talks to resolve the conflict with Ukraine, it added.
The announcement met with disappointment in Washington. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump wants a permanent end to hostilities and is "increasingly frustrated" with the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine.
The latest offer of a halt to the fighting comes as Russia prepares to mark its May 9 anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany with a military parade on Moscow's Red Square. Putin previously announced a suspension of fighting for 30 hours during the Easter weekend, during which both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of breaches.
The Kremlin said Russia expected Ukraine to follow suit on the new pause in fighting. When Putin announced the Easter ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country would reciprocate. Ukraine said Monday it's ready to abide by a ceasefire of at least 30 days.
"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on the X social-media platform. "Why wait until May 8th if the fire can be ceased now" so it's real, not just for a parade?"
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Putin has so far refused to agree to a proposal by Trump for an unlimited ceasefire aimed at securing a final peace settlement in the war that's now in its fourth year. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that US efforts to resolve the war were facing "a very critical week."
He also sounded a more cautious note than Trump, who said after his meeting with Zelenskiy in Rome on Saturday that the sides were close to reaching a peace plan. "We're not there yet," Rubio told NBC's Meet the Press.
Rubio spoke Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at Lavrov's request, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. "The secretary underscored to his Russian counterpart the next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks and the need to end the war now," she said.
Trump is eager for a peace deal by April 30, as he marks the 100th day of his current term. He has been dialing up pressure for an accord that critics say may favor Russia in his bid to end Europe's longest conflict since World War II.
