Putin declares 3-day ceasefire in Ukraine on May 8-10 for WW II victory day

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine next month to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s and its allies’ victory in World War Two.

A ceasefire will take effect at midnight on May 8 (2100 GMT May 7) and continue through May 10. The Kremlin announced that President Vladimir Putin has ordered a complete halt to hostilities “on humanitarian grounds” to mark Victory Day on May 9.

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

However, it warned that any violations by Ukrainian forces would be met with an “adequate and effective response” from Russia’s military.

Putin had earlier announced an Easter truce earlier this month — a gesture Ukraine claimed was hollow, citing nearly 3,000 violations by Russian forces during the ceasefire period.

Last week, Putin told US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow that he was ready for talks with Ukraine “without preconditions”, according to the Kremlin. US President Donald Trump, however, speculated that Moscow may have no intention of reaching a settlement.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying,” Trump had said in a post on Truth Social.

In addition to his rare shift from stance on Russia, Trump also softened his tone towards Ukraine and met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral. Their first 15-minute encounter was labelled ‘constructive’ by Kyiv.

Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine exchanged long-range strikes on Monday as tensions mounted ahead of a pivotal week that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken labelled “very critical”, with little clarity on whether a resolution to the ongoing three-year war is nearing.