Vladimir Putin has declared a three-day full ceasefire in the war with Ukraine in May to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union in the second world war.
The Kremlin said the 72-hour ceasefire would run from the start of 8 May to the end of 10 May, and called on Ukraine to join it as well. “All hostilities will be suspended during this period,” the Kremlin said in a statement. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example.”
The Kremlin said that in the event of violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side, Russian armed forces would deliver an “adequate and effective” response.
Ukraine responded to Putin’s announcement by calling for an immediate month-long ceasefire.
“If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8th? If the fire can be ceased now and since any date for 30 days – so it is real, not just for a parade,” the country’s foreign secretary, Andrii Sybiha, wrote on social media.
“Ukraine is ready to support a lasting, durable, and full ceasefire. And this is what we are constantly proposing, for at least 30 days,” he added.
The White House said Donald Trump wanted to see “a permanent ceasefire” and that the US president was becoming “increasingly frustrated” with the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine.
Putin, in his statement, also said he was ready to engage constructively with international partners to address the “root causes” of the conflict.
For Russia, that terminology serves as code for some of its more hardline aims in a broader settlement – including preventing Ukraine from joining Nato, limiting the size of its military, and having a say over Ukraine’s domestic politics.
If respected by both sides, the May ceasefire would mark the first full ceasefire since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Credit: THEGUARDIAN