Vladimir Putin has declared a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
The Kremlin stated on Telegram this afternoon (28 April) that it is proposed to take place between 8-10 May.
It says it expects Ukraine to reciprocate Russia's temporary ceasefire but would respond to any 'violations'. It has been announced to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, as Russia celebrates 80 years since its defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
The proposed truce will start at 00:00 on 8 May (21:00 GMT on 7 May) and last until 11 May. It is not yet clear if Ukraine have responded.
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Before this announcement, a top US diplomat described today (28 April) as the start of a 'very critical' week in peace talks between the nations with Donald Trump scaling up efforts to broker a deal in Ukraine.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country on 24 February 2022 and is currently said to control about 20 percent of its territory.
Since then, it's estimate that hundreds of thousands of people (largely soldiers) have been killed or injured on all sides.
It was also recently confirmed by North Korea for the first time that it had sent troops to Russia to help the forces ‘completely liberate’ the Kursk border region with plans to ‘annihilate’ Ukrainians.
The statement from The Kremlin issued on Telegram announcing this temporary ceasefire for May reads: "By decision of the President of the Russian Federation, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, for humanitarian reasons, during the days of the 80th anniversary of the Victory, from midnight on May 7-8 until midnight on May 10-11, the Russian side declares a ceasefire."
It continued: "All military actions are suspended for this period. Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example.
"In case of ceasefire violations by the Ukrainian side, the Russian Armed Forces will provide an adequate and effective response.
"The Russian side once again declares its readiness for peace negotiations without preconditions, aimed at eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, and constructive interaction with international partners."
This surprise truce announced by Putin today will be the second one to take place within a month.
He previously set a ceasefire for Easter weekend just a matter of weeks ago. However, Zelenskyy accused the Russian leader of '2,000 violations' during the truce and called on it to be extended for 30 days.
Topics: Russia, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine
Jess Battison