April 28, 2025 — Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine between May 8 and May 10 to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
However, Ukrainian officials are likely to view the move with suspicion following the failure of a similar Easter truce earlier this month.
According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will begin at midnight local time on May 8 — 9 PM on May 7 in the UK — and will continue through May 10.
The Russian government said President Putin ordered the suspension of hostilities on “humanitarian grounds.”
Despite the announcement, trust remains low.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey told Parliament last week that Russian forces had broken the previously promised Easter ceasefire, with Defence Intelligence finding “no indication” that hostilities had paused along the frontline.
Victory Day, celebrated in Russia on May 9, commemorates the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany, an event known domestically as the Great Patriotic War.
Traditional large-scale military parades are expected, even as Europe broadly marks the anniversary of the end of World War II with commemorations across the continent, including in the UK.
In his address to the House of Commons, Healey criticized Putin, suggesting that the ceasefire offer might be a tactic to buy time in ongoing negotiations.
“I can confirm Russian military progress is slowing,” Healey stated. “Putin gained less territory in March than he did in February, and less in February than in January.
Ukrainian towns targeted since before Christmas have still not been captured.”
Meanwhile, diplomatic activity continues. US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met informally on Saturday at St Peter’s Basilica ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral.
Zelensky described their conversation as “productive,” while Trump remarked afterward that he was beginning to believe Putin “doesn’t want to stop the war.”
However, Trump also suggested on Sunday that Zelensky might consider ceding Crimea, the peninsula in southern Ukraine that Russia annexed in 2014.
As the proposed ceasefire approaches, both military analysts and international leaders remain cautious about Russia’s true intentions.
