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Russia: 72-Hour Ceasefire to Mark VD 04/29 06:17
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a
unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week in Ukraine to mark Victory Day in World
War II as the U.S. presses for a deal to end the 3-year-old war. Kyiv insisted
on a longer and immediate truce.
The Kremlin said the truce, ordered on "humanitarian grounds," will run from
the start of May 8 and last through the end of May 10 to mark Moscow's defeat
of Nazi Germany in 1945 -- Russia's biggest secular holiday.
Ukraine, which has previously agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump's
proposal of a full 30-day ceasefire, dismissed Putin's move as window dressing.
"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately," Ukrainian
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, according to the ministry. He emphasized
that Kyiv is ready for a "lasting, reliable, and complete ceasefire" for at
least 30 full days.
"Why wait for May 8? If we can cease fire now from any date and for 30 days
-- so that it is real, and not just for a parade," he said without specifying
whether Ukraine would be ready to accept the Moscow-proposed truce.
The Kremlin had urged Ukraine to follow suit.
"Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example," it
said, warning that "in case of violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian
side, the Russian armed forces will give an adequate and efficient response."
Putin previously announced a unilateral 30-hour Easter ceasefire and Ukraine
voiced readiness to reciprocate any genuine truce at the time, but it said
Russian attacks continued. Moscow, in turn, accused Ukraine of failing to halt
its attacks.
Russia and Ukraine had also earlier pledged to observe a 30-day halt on
strikes on energy infrastructure that was brokered by the Trump administration,
but they repeatedly accused each other of massive violations until the measure
expired.
The truce attempts underlined the massive challenges for monitoring any
possible halt to hostilities along the more than 1,000-kilometer (over
600-mile) line of contact.
Up until now, Putin had refused to accept a complete unconditional
ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies to Ukraine and
Ukraine's mobilization effort.
The Kremlin reaffirmed that "the Russian side again declares its readiness
for peace talks without preconditions aimed at removing the root causes of the
Ukrainian crisis and constructive cooperation with international partners."
Ukrainians in Kyiv scoffed at Putin's move.
"There is no trust in any of Putin's proposals," said Nazar Lutsenko, a
lawyer. He added that "we absolutely want the war to end on terms that are
favorable to us, on fair terms."
A soldier with the 156th Brigade, who identified himself only by his first
name, Kostiantyn, in keeping with military rules, dismissed the truce as
"ridiculous," adding that perhaps "there will not be such harsh shelling as
there is every evening here, but fighting will be conducted in one way or
another."
Student Oleksandra Serpilova viewed the declaration as "another attempt to
keep America engaged, to give Trump hope that some kind of negotiations are
possible."
Just before the ceasefire announcement, Ukraine and Russia targeted each
other with long-range strikes.
Russia's drone attack early Monday damaged an infrastructure facility in
Cherkasy, central Ukraine, disrupting gas supplies to households in the city,
Mayor Anatolii Bondarenko said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces downed 119 Ukrainian drones
overnight, most of them over Russia's Bryansk border region. In Ukraine, air
raid sirens rang out across the country Monday morning. There were no immediate
reports of casualties or damage.
Rubio says this week is 'very critical'
The outcome of a push by Trump's administration to swiftly end the fighting,
which has cost tens of thousands of lives, remains unclear, clouded by
conflicting claims and doubts about how far each side might be willing to
compromise amid deep hostility and mistrust.
The clock is ticking on Washington's engagement in efforts to resolve
Europe's biggest conflict since World War II.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that this week would be
"very critical." The U.S. needs to "make a determination about whether this is
an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in," he said on NBC's "Meet
the Press."
American military aid has been crucial for Ukraine's war effort, and further
help could be at risk if the Trump administration walks away from attempts to
end the war.
Trump's doubts about Putin's intentions
Trump said over the weekend he harbors doubts about Putin's sincerity in
pursuing a deal, as Russian forces have continued to strike civilian areas of
Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles while the talks have proceeded.
But on Friday, Trump described a brokered settlement on the war as "close."
Western European officials have accused the Kremlin of dragging its feet on
peace talks so that Russia's larger forces, which have battlefield momentum,
can seize more Ukrainian land.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the war in a phone call
Sunday with Rubio, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. They focused on
"consolidating the emerging prerequisites for starting negotiations," the
statement said, without elaborating.
Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full
30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions. Ukraine has
accepted it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.
A French diplomatic official said over the weekend that Trump, Zelenskyy and
French President Emmanuel Macron agreed "to pursue in the coming days the work
of convergence" to obtain "a solid ceasefire."
The diplomat said a truce is a "prior condition for a peace negotiation that
respects the interest of Ukraine and the Europeans."
The official was not authorized to be publicly identified in accordance with
French presidential policy.
Ukraine unwilling to give up land
Ukraine, meanwhile, has balked at surrendering land to Russia in return for
peace, which Washington has indicated could be necessary.
A key point of leverage for Ukraine could be a deal with Washington that
grants access to Ukraine's critical mineral wealth.
Ukraine and the U.S. have made progress on a mineral agreement, with both
sides agreeing that American aid provided so far to Kyiv will not be taken into
account under the terms of the deal, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
said Sunday.
"We have good progress," he said after talks with U.S. Treasury Under
Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington.
"The main thing is that we clearly defined our red lines: The agreement must
comply with Ukraine's Constitution, legislation, and European commitments, and
must be ratified by Parliament," Shmyhal said.
Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022 has developed
a significant international dimension, further complicating negotiations.
Putin on Monday thanked North Korea for sending what the U.S. estimates are
thousands of troops to help defeat Ukraine, as well as allegedly supplying
artillery ammunition.
Iran has also helped Russia in the war, with Shahed drones, and China has
sold Russia machinery and microelectronics that Moscow can use to make weapons,
Western officials say.
The U.S. and Europe have been Kyiv's biggest backers.
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