Russia's Putin announces 3-day ceasefire in Ukraine war during May 8-10

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a three-day ceasefire in its war with Ukraine from May 8 to May 10. Russia expects its neighbour to follow through the ceasefire but has warned of retaliation in case the truce is violated.

"Russia believes that the Ukraine side should follow this example. In the event of violations of the truce by the Ukrainian side, the Russian armed forces will give an adequate and effective response," the Kremlin -- headquarters of the Russian government -- said in a statement.
The schedule of the truce coincides with Russia's Victory Day on May 9, the date that marks the end of the Second World War.

Previous truce announcement
Earlier this month, Putin had announced a 30-hour ceasefire on the occasion of Easter. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that attacks from Russia continued despite the truce announcement.
However, the May ceasefire has been announced days in advance and is longer lasting.

Winning back US' trust
The repeated truce announcements are being seen as Putin's attempt to win back United States President Donald Trump's trust after he and his officials warned they might move on from Ukraine peace talks. Trump also recently said he was unhappy after Moscow continued to bomb Ukraine's civilian areas.
"I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying," the US president wrote in a post on Truth Social a few days ago.

Russia-Ukraine war
Russia had launched a full-blown invasion of Ukraine over three years ago in February 2022. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or wounded on both sides.