Putin orders 3-day truce in Ukraine next month, Kremlin says

President Vladimir Putin of Russia ordered a three-day unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine next week, the Kremlin said Monday, soon after President Donald Trump reiterated his frustration with Russia’s refusal to stop the war.

The Kremlin said Russian forces would stop fighting May 8 for 72 hours to mark the May 9 celebration of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, a major holiday in Russia. The announcement was the second time in two weeks that Russia promised a temporary pause in the fighting.

“During this period, all hostilities will cease,” the Kremlin said in a statement. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example.”

Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the declaration “underlines our willingness to get on the path toward a peaceful resolution.”

However, Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, responded to the Kremlin statement by saying that “if Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately.” He added that Ukraine remained ready for a 30-day halt in the fighting, something Putin has thus far rejected.

“Why wait until May 8th?” Sybiha wrote on social platform X. “Ukraine is ready to support a lasting, durable, and full ceasefire.”

The Kremlin’s announcement came just days after Trump urged Putin, in a social media post, to “STOP!” bombarding Ukraine amid U.S.-backed efforts to broker a truce. After meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on Saturday, Trump said that he questioned whether Putin truly wanted peace.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

Russia has refused to abide by a 30-day unconditional ceasefire that Ukraine previously agreed to at the urging of the Trump administration. A one-day truce announced by Putin for Easter did not hold, though both sides said it brought a reduction in hostilities.

© 2025 The New York Times Company