Moscow said it expected Kyiv to issue a similar order, and that it stood ready to respond to any violations of the possible halt in fighting.
“The Russian side is declaring a ceasefire during the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, from midnight on May 7-8 to midnight on May 10-11. All combat operations will be suspended during this period,“ the Kremlin said in a statement.
Putin last month rejected a US proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire that had been accepted by Ukraine.
Since launching its Ukraine offensive in February 2022, Russia has seized large parts of four Ukrainian regions and claimed them as its own, in addition to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
Putin’s order of a ceasefire comes at the beginning of what the United States indicated would be a crucial week for the chances of a ceasefire that could determine how long Washington keeps trying to broker a deal.
“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,“ Trump had said on Truth Social.
Russia had earlier on Monday said it was ready to negotiate directly with Ukraine, but that recognition of its claims over five Ukrainian regions including Crimea were “imperative” to resolving the conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Brazilian newspaper O Globo published Monday that “we remain open to negotiations.”
“International recognition of Russia’s ownership of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic, the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is imperative,“ he said, using the Kremlin’s names for the Ukrainian regions.
Kursk retaken
But the White House has voiced frustration with both sides, as the conflict that has devastated swathes of eastern Ukraine and killed tens of thousands of people drags on.
Early Monday, a Russian attack on a Ukrainian village near the frontline city of Pokrovsk killed a married couple and another local resident, regional prosecutors said.
Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday for help with the operation, which has denied Kyiv a key bargaining chip in future talks with Moscow.
The Russian army said Monday it had taken control of the village of Kamianka in the northeastern Kharkiv region, in its latest battlefield advance.
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