Russia has announced a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine from May 8 to May 11 following what has been termed a ‘historic’ meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This ceasefire will coincide with Russia’s Victory Day on May 9, a date that commemorates the end of World War II.
President Putin has warned that the Kremlin will respond appropriately to any ‘violations’ should Ukraine not adhere to the ceasefire agreement.
According to the BBC, a translated statement indicated: “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example.
“In the event of violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian side, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will give an adequate and effective response.
“The Russian side once again declares its readiness for peace talks without preconditions, aimed at eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, and constructive interaction with international partners.”
Despite the ceasefire announcement, both Ukraine and Russia launched long-range strikes against each other on Monday. This happened amid ongoing uncertainty about the possibility of reaching an agreement to end the conflict, described by America’s top diplomat as a ‘very critical’ week.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported that its forces had downed 119 Ukrainian drones overnight, predominantly over Russia’s Bryansk border region.
On Monday morning, air raid sirens were heard across Ukraine, although no casualties or damage were immediately reported.
The efforts by the Trump administration to quickly resolve the fighting are still uncertain, hampered by conflicting narratives and doubts about the willingness of both sides to make concessions.
Trump and Zelenskyy had their meeting on Saturday before Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, an event described as ‘historic’.
Zelenskyy took to Twitter to reflect on their talks, stating: “Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people.
“Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you @POTUS.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung reported that the two leaders ‘had a very productive discussion’.
Zelenskyy’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, mentioned that the meeting lasted around 15 minutes.
Prior to his election, Trump claimed he would resolve the conflict in Ukraine within the first 24 hours of his presidency, but the situation has proven to be more complex.
As the 47th President of the United States, Trump often shares his opinions on the war via Truth Social.
Recently, Trump stated, “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.”