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Lavrov: Occupation of Crimea "a done deal"
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day ceasefire successful his country's warfare connected Ukraine, from May 8-10, coinciding with Moscow's World War II Victory Day commemorations, the Kremlin said Monday. Ukraine rapidly accused Putin's forces, who are much than 3 years into their full-scale invasion, of violating the past ceasefire Putin declared, connected Easter Sunday.
The three-day truce declared by Putin connected Monday covers the nationalist vacation successful Russia that coincides with Victory successful Europe, oregon VE Day, which is marked crossed Europe connected May 8, the day connected which Nazi Germany conceded decision to the Allied Forces successful 1945. The then-Soviet Union was 1 of those allies, on with the United States, that defeated Adolf Hitler's fascist regime.
"Russia believes that the Ukrainian broadside should travel this example," the Kremlin said Monday successful announcing Putin's order. "In the lawsuit of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Russian equipped forces volition springiness an capable and effectual response."
In this excavation photograph distributed by Russian authorities bureau Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a gathering with Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces via videoconference astatine the Novo-Ogaryovo authorities residence extracurricular Moscow, April 26, 2025.
ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/POOL/AFP/Getty
On Easter Sunday, conscionable hours into the past impermanent ceasefire that Putin declared, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of attempting to make a mendacious quality of honoring the truce. He said portion aerial and rocket strikes had astatine slightest slowed, his forces recorded 59 abstracted instances of Russian shelling and 5 attacks on the 600-mile beforehand line, which stretches from the bluish to confederate borders of eastbound Ukraine.
"In practice, either Putin does not person afloat power implicit his army, oregon the concern proves that successful Russia, they person nary volition of making a genuine determination toward ending the war, and are lone funny successful favorable PR coverage," helium wrote.
Putin's unilateral declaration of different ceasefire comes amid aggravated unit from the Trump medication connected some Kyiv and Moscow to onslaught an statement to extremity the warring successful the three-year warfare sparked by Putin's Feb. 24, 2022, full-scale invasion.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy and President Trump met for astir 15 minutes successful St. Peter's Basilica up of Pope Francis' funeral.
After the meeting, Mr. Trump seemed to person changed his tune connected Ukraine and the war, saying Zelenskyy is acceptable to marque a bid woody to extremity the war. He besides criticized Russia for its caller attacks successful Ukraine, adjacent threatening banking oregon secondary sanctions connected Moscow successful a Truth Social post.
"We had a bully meeting, it was a beauteous eating," Mr. Trump told reporters extracurricular the White House connected Sunday, acknowledging that Zelenskyy has a "tough roadworthy ahead."
Asked if helium trusts Putin, Mr. Trump answered, "You'll cognize successful astir 2 weeks," without elaborating further.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance besides warned that Putin and Zelenskyy indispensable onslaught a woody oregon the Trump medication would extremity its efforts to forge a lasting ceasefire. It was the second informing from the Trump administration in little than a week, contempt Mr. Trump's predominant pledges earlier his 2nd word began that helium would extremity the warfare immediately.
"We've issued a precise explicit connection to some the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it's clip for them to either accidental yes, oregon for the United States to locomotion distant from this process," Vance told reporters.
A mates days aft Vance's warning, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told CBS News' Margaret Brennan that the Kremlin was "ready to scope a deal" with the U.S. connected Ukraine but that immoderate elements inactive needed to beryllium "fine tuned."
"The president of the United States believes - and I deliberation rightly truthful - that we are moving successful the close direction," Lavrov said successful an interrogation Thursday connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
Lavrov declined to accidental what details were being discussed successful the U.S.-Russia negotiations, oregon whether helium believed immoderate woody was imminent.
Russia has agelong said it is unfastened to a negotiated extremity to the war, but it has refused to connection immoderate concessions publicly, and the Kremlin routinely insists that immoderate ceasefire indispensable woody with what Putin considers the "root causes" of the war, which helium has ever blamed connected Ukraine and the West contempt his ain ordering of the penetration of a neighboring nation.
Mr. Trump has astatine times echoed Kremlin rhetoric astir the causes of the war, and elder medication officials person made it wide they judge Ukraine volition person to output immoderate of the territory Russia has seized power of implicit the past decennary to extremity the fighting. While immoderate White House officials person said Russia volition besides person to marque concessions, it remains unclear what the Trump medication volition request from Putin to scope a lasting truce.
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