Moscow has rejected Kyiv’s push for a 30-day ceasefire and insisted that a three-day truce timed to coincide with Victory Day celebrations would constitute the beginning of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations without preconditions. On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defended Vladimir Putin’s offer of a short-term ceasefire — from midnight on May 8 until midnight on May 11 — in honor of the 80th anniversary of the USSR’s defeat of Nazi Germany. Speaking at a press conference in Brazil, Lavrov explained that Moscow views Zelensky’s proposed 30-day ceasefire as a “precondition” that Kyiv and its allies would use to bolster Ukraine’s military.

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. President Trump is “increasingly frustrated” with both Putin and Zelensky. In more direct terms, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, called Putin’s three-day ceasefire proposal “absurd” in an appearance on Fox News on April 29.

Background

• Russia and Ukraine trade accusations of ‘manipulation’ over ceasefire proposals