Putin Calling a 3-Day Ceasefire in May

Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine on May 8-10 to mark the World War II Victory Day, reports the AP. The move comes as President Trump's administration decides whether a deal to end the more than three-year war is within reach.

• The Kremlin said the truce will start on May 8 and last through the end of May 10. The Kremlin said that Putin ordered the full cessation of hostilities on "humanitarian grounds" to mark the May 9 holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany.

• Just before the ceasefire announcement, Ukraine and Russia targeted each other with long-range strikes. 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.
• The outcome of a push by Trump's administration to swiftly end the fighting remains unclear, clouded by conflicting claims and doubts about how far each side might be willing to compromise amid deep hostility and mistrust. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that this week would be "very critical." The US 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.
• Trump said over the weekend that he harbors doubts about Putin's sincerity in pursuing a deal, as Russian forces have continued to strike civilian areas of Ukraine while the talks have proceeded. But on Friday, Trump described a brokered settlement on the war as "close."

(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)