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Putin's order for three-day truce with Ukraine comes into effect
Russian President Vladimir Putin's order for a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect Thursday. The Kremlin presented the truce as a test of Ukraine's willingness to pursue peace, but Ukraine rejected it, calling it a "farce" and instead proposed a 30-day ceasefire.
The situation surrounding the truce remained unclear as world leaders, including China's Xi Jinping, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic, were in Moscow for the World War II Victory Day celebrations. Although Moscow's Victory Day parade was scheduled for Friday, Ukraine never agreed to Putin's ceasefire proposal, viewing it as theatrics rather than a genuine step toward peace.
Hours before the ceasefire was to take effect, Moscow and Kyiv launched aerial attacks, resulting in airport closures in Russia and leaving at least two people dead in Ukraine. The Kremlin insisted that Russian forces would adhere to the truce during the holiday but would retaliate if Ukraine initiated any attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his call for a 30-day ceasefire in a speech on Wednesday, urging the world to push for diplomacy. He emphasized that Ukraine's proposal could offer an opportunity for peace, though no response from Russia had been forthcoming.
Putin had initially proposed the ceasefire as a "humanitarian" gesture under pressure from the United States to end the conflict. However, Russia rejected an earlier joint US-Ukrainian call for an unconditional ceasefire and offered only limited contributions to peace efforts. Ukraine expressed skepticism over Russia's commitment to the truce, citing numerous violations of a previous ceasefire during Easter.
Meanwhile, the White House grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress toward peace despite President Donald Trump's efforts. US Vice President JD Vance urged direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, emphasizing the need for face-to-face talks to resolve the conflict.
As Russia commemorated Victory Day with a grand military parade on Red Square, more than 20 world leaders attended the May 9 event. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that security measures had been put in place for a peaceful celebration, including internet restrictions due to the threat from Kyiv.
Despite the ongoing hostilities, Russians attending the parade appeared unconcerned, with some visitors from Rostov-on-Don remarking that nothing frightened them. However, the situation at airports was chaotic, with Ukrainian drone attacks causing widespread flight disruptions. Russia reported that over 350 flights were delayed or canceled as a result of the drone strikes.
