Putin announces surprise Ukraine truce for May 8-10

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a astonishment three-day ceasefire from May 8-10, coinciding with Moscow's World War II Victory Day commemorations, the Kremlin said Monday.

Moscow said it expected Kyiv to contented a akin order, and that it stood acceptable to respond to immoderate violations of the imaginable halt successful fighting.

Putin made a akin bid to halt combat implicit Easter -- a truce that some sides accused the different of violating hundreds of times, but did pb to a impermanent simplification successful fighting.

"The Russian broadside is declaring a ceasefire during the 80th day of Victory Day, from midnight connected May 7-8 to midnight connected May 10-11. All combat operations volition beryllium suspended during this period," the Kremlin said successful a statement.

"Russia believes that the Ukrainian broadside should travel this example. In the lawsuit of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Russian equipped forces volition springiness an capable and effectual response," it added.

Putin past period rejected a US connection for a afloat and unconditional 30-day ceasefire that had been accepted by Ukraine.

Kyiv and its European backers accused Putin of announcing the 30-hour Easter truce arsenic a PR workout and said helium had small tendency for peace.

Since launching its Ukraine violative successful February 2022, Russia has seized ample parts of 4 Ukrainian regions and claimed them arsenic its own, successful summation to Crimea, which it annexed successful 2014.

- 'Tapping maine along' -

Putin's bid of a ceasefire comes astatine the opening of what the United States indicated would beryllium a important week for the chances of a ceasefire that could find however agelong Washington keeps trying to broker a deal.

After a gathering with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky astatine Pope Francis's ceremonial connected Saturday, Donald Trump questioned whether the Russian person was superior astir peace.

"There was nary crushed for Putin to beryllium shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, implicit the past fewer days. It makes maine deliberation that possibly helium doesn't privation to halt the war, he's conscionable tapping maine along," Trump had said connected Truth Social.

Russian missiles person killed dozens of civilians implicit the past period successful large-scale strikes connected Zelensky's location metropolis of Kryvyi Rig, the northeastern metropolis of Sumy and the superior Kyiv.

Russia had earlier connected Monday said it was acceptable to negociate straight with Ukraine, but that designation of its claims implicit 5 Ukrainian regions including Crimea were "imperative" to resolving the conflict.

Ukraine has denounced the annexations arsenic an amerciable onshore drawback and says it volition ne'er recognise them, portion European officials person warned that accepting Moscow's demands acceptable a unsafe precedent that could pb to aboriginal Russian aggression.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said successful an interrogation with Brazilian paper O Globo published Monday that "we stay unfastened to negotiations."

"But the shot is not successful our court. So far, Kyiv has not demonstrated its quality to negotiate," helium said, adding Moscow's presumption connected the struggle was "well-known".

"International designation of Russia's ownership of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is imperative," helium said, utilizing the Kremlin's names for the Ukrainian regions.

Zelensky said past Friday that Ukraine would "not legally recognise immoderate temporarily occupied territories", and has antecedently called the demilitarisation request "incomprehensible".

- Kursk retaken -

Trump, who boasted earlier his inauguration helium could halt Russia's battle connected Ukraine wrong "24 hours", launched a diplomatic violative to halt the warring aft taking bureau successful January.

But the White House has voiced vexation with some sides, arsenic the struggle that has devastated swathes of eastbound Ukraine and killed tens of thousands of radical drags on.

Russia and Ukraine person not held nonstop talks connected the warring since the commencement of Moscow's violative successful 2022.

Early Monday, a Russian onslaught connected a Ukrainian colony adjacent the frontline metropolis of Pokrovsk killed a joined mates and different section resident, determination prosecutors said.

Meanwhile, Russia implicit the play announced it had taken afloat power of its Kursk portion with the assistance of North Korean troops, much than 8 months aft Kyiv launched a cross-border crushed assault.

Putin thanked North Korean person Kim Jong Un connected Monday for assistance with the operation, which has denied Kyiv a cardinal bargaining spot successful aboriginal talks with Moscow.

The Russian service said Monday it had taken power of the colony of Kamianka successful the northeastern Kharkiv region, successful its latest battlefield advance.

bur/jm