28 April 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary ceasefire for the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin said the ceasefire would run from the morning of 8 May until 11 May – which coincides with victory celebrations to mark the end of World War Two.
In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for an immediate ceasefire lasting “at least 30 days”.
While US President Donald Trump, who has been attempting to broker a truce between the two sides, said he wants to see a permanent ceasefire, the White House said.
The Kremlin announced a similar, 30-hour truce over Easter, but while both sides reported a dip in fighting, they accused each other of hundreds of violations.
Ceasefires have been attempted more than 20 times in Ukraine – all of them failed eventually, and some within minutes of going into effect.
President Vladimir Putin said Russian forces would halt fighting from midnight on May 7-8 to midnight on May 10-11. The announcement came amid rising pressure from the United States to agree to a full ceasefire in the conflict.
Russia will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War, the term it uses for its war with the Third Reich from 1942 to 1945, commonly known as World War II, on May 9.
“During this period, all hostilities will cease,” the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin made the decision on “humanitarian grounds”, it added.
The Kremlin statement called on Kyiv to join the ceasefire, but pledged that in the event of any violations by the Ukrainians, Russia’s armed forces would give an “adequate and effective response”.
