Putin announces three-day ceasefire in Ukraine to mark 80th anniversary of end of World War 2
by Henry Moore · LBCBy Henry Moore
Russia has announced plans to pause its fighting in Ukraine from midnight on May 7 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The ceasefire, which follows a failed Easter pause to the fighting, will end on May 11.
Posting on Telegram, the Kremlin said that while Ukraine has not responded to the plans, it believes “the Ukrainian side should follow this example."
Moscow added: "In case of violation of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will provide an adequate and effective response."
Read more: Spain and Portugal hit by huge power outage sparking travel chaos
"The Russian side once again declares its readiness for peace negotiations without preconditions, aimed at eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, and constructive interaction with international partners," Putin continued of the proposed ceasefire.
It comes as Donald Trump suggested over the weekend that Ukraine would be willing to give up Crimea in a bid to secure peace.
Speaking on Saturday following his meeting with Zelenskyy at the Vatican, Trump said “Oh, I think so,” when asked whether he thought Zelenskyy was ready to “give up” territory.
However, Trump's comments appear to contrast Zelenskyy's take on the situation, with the leader insisting Ukraine would never accept US recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea during a press conference last week.
Only last week, Putin announced a 30-hour ceasefire to mark Easter, which ended in Russia launching around 3,000 attacks on Ukraine, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This latest announcement comes after Trump slammed Putin has his continued attacks on Ukraine.
The US President urged Russia’s Vladimir Putin to "stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal."
Trump and Zelenskyy held “historic” talks on Saturday ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral.
The White House said talks had gone well, describing Zelenskyy as “calmer” compared to the pair’s previous meeting.
"I think he understands the picture, I think he wants to make a deal," Trump said.
On Putin, he said: "I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal.”
He added he was "very disappointed that they did the bombing of those places after discussions."