US president urges Putin for lasting peace in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin announced another brief halt in military actions. This is set to occur from 8 to 10 May. The pause is related to the celebrations of Victory Day.

Victory Day, celebrated on 9 May in countries like Russia, is a national holiday commemorating the end of the Second World War. Kyiv has already responded to the dictator's proposal, which it deems manipulative.

The White House responded firmly to the Kremlin's announcement.

He [President Trump - ed.] is increasingly frustrated with leaders of both countries. He wants to see a permanent ceasefire. I understand Vladimir Putin this morning offered a temporary ceasefire. The president has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed, declared White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

At the same time, she emphasised that the President of the United States "remains optimistic he can strike a deal, he’s also being realistic as well, and both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this. And I do think that the President meeting with President Zelensky shows that he is exuding a lot of effort and time into this, because he wants to be a peacemaker president."

Earlier, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha also addressed the Russian dictator's proposal.

"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8th? If the fire can be ceased now and since any date for 30 days—so it is real, not just for a parade. Ukraine is ready to support a lasting, durable, and full ceasefire. And this is what we are constantly proposing, for at least 30 days," he wrote on the X platform.