Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for a three-day ceasefire is a significant step towards a peace settlement, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on May 5.
"As you know, President Putin just announced a three-day ceasefire, which doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot, if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters in an Oval Office briefing.
Putin on April 28 announced a so-called "humanitarian truce" from May 7-9, during Moscow's Victory Day celebrations. The offer comes as Russia continues to reject Kyiv and Washington's calls for a complete 30-day ceasefire on all hostilities.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Putin's announcement as a "theatrical performance" rather than a serious move towards peace.
Trump nevertheless expressed optimism about prospects for a peace agreement in the new future.
"I think Russia, with the price of oil right now, oil's gone down, I think we're in a good position to settle," he told reporters.
"They want to settle, Ukraine wants to settle. If I weren't president, nobody would be settling."
Putin's proposal for a Victory Day truce came shortly after Trump expressed frustration with Russia's lack of cooperation in peace negotiations. Trump on April 26 said that Putin may not be genuinely interested in ending the war.
"(H)e's just tapping me along," Trump wrote on social media, adding that the U.S. may need to escalate by imposing additional sanctions against Russia.
Two days later, Putin announced the three-day truce. Similarly, Putin called for a temporary Easter truce shortly after Trump threatened to withdraw from peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The move was widely dismissed by world leaders as a media stunt to appease Trump. Ukraine accused Russia of violating its own ceasefire nearly 3,000 times in 30 hours.
Ukraine has been willing to begin a full 30-day ceasefire with Russia since early March, when the U.S. first proposed an interim truce. Kyiv's only requirement is that Moscow abide by the same terms, while Russia has refused to impose a full ceasefire unless Ukraine makes extraordinary concessions, such as refusing all foreign military aid.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on May 5 that a meeting between Putin and Trump is "on the radar" but has not yet been scheduled. Putin has already met several times with Trump's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has played a key role in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
