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There was no immediate comment from Ukraine about the unexpected announcement.
April 28, 2025Updated 8:08 a.m. ET
The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir V. Putin had ordered a three-day cease-fire in Ukraine next month, the second time in two weeks that Russia’s leader has promised a temporary pause in the fighting as President Trump shows growing impatience with his refusal to stop the war.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Russian forces would stop fighting on May 8 for 72 hours for “humanitarian reasons” to mark the May 9 celebration of Soviet victory in World War II, a major holiday in Russia.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine about the announcement.
It came just days after Mr. Trump urged the Mr. Putin, in a social media post, to “STOP!” bombarding Ukraine amid U.S.-backed efforts to broker a truce. After meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Saturday, Mr. Trump said that he questioned whether Mr. Putin truly wanted peace.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently,” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post.
Russia has refused to abide by a 30-day unconditional cease-fire that Ukraine previously agreed to at the urging of the Trump administration. A one-day truce announced by Mr. Putin to mark Easter did not hold, though both sides said it brought a reduction in hostilities.
