MOSCOW, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, scheduled to run from May 8 to May 11, according to a statement released by the Kremlin on Telegram.
The Kremlin said the move was intended to create space for de-escalation and urged Ukraine to reciprocate.
However, Ukrainian authorities have not yet publicly responded to the announcement.
“Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” the statement read. It further warned that any violations of the ceasefire by Ukrainian forces would be met with an “adequate and effective response” from Russian troops.
The Kremlin also reiterated its longstanding call for peace talks without preconditions, emphasizing its readiness for “constructive interaction” with international partners to address what it described as the “root causes of the Ukrainian crisis.”
This latest ceasefire proposal comes during what Washington has termed a “very critical” week for diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict.
The United States, which has been seeking to mediate talks between Kyiv and Moscow, has warned that it could pull back its diplomatic engagement if meaningful progress is not made.
The announcement mirrors a previous temporary truce declared by Russia over the Easter holiday.
Although that ceasefire led to a slight reduction in hostilities, both sides accused each other of hundreds of violations during the brief pause in fighting.
The war, now in its third year, began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Russian forces currently occupy roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
The conflict has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, the majority of them soldiers on both sides.
