WASHINGTON DC – The White House on Monday dismissed Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s latest temporary truce announcement, saying that it wants a permanent ceasefire.
“I understand Vladimir Putin this morning offered a temporary ceasefire. The president has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killing and stop the bloodshed,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in the White House briefing room.
Putin declared on Monday a three-day ceasefire from May 8 to May 10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s and its allies’ victory in World War II.
The unilateral truce announcement, the second by Putin in quick succession, followed a 30-hour Easter ceasefire that Russia itself failed to follow.
While Moscow emphasized its “readiness” for direct peace talks with Ukraine, Kremlin officials also said that they were “waiting for a signal” from Kyiv.
Ukraine, for its part, said it is willing to engage in dialogue if Russia first agrees to a full ceasefire.US President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized Putin for last week’s deadly Russian attack on Kyiv and voiced concern that Putin was “just tapping [him] along.”
Trump’s statement came after he privately met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in St. Peter’s Basilica on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral.
When asked about the meeting, Press Secretary Leavitt referred to Trump’s early comments, saying that the US president’s efforts to act as a peacemaker were “evident in his meeting with President Zelensky.”
The meeting, she said, underscored Trump’s commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully, “because he wants to be a peacemaker president which he was in his first term,” adding he “intends to do that again.”
While Trump remained optimistic about reaching a deal, he also acknowledged the necessity for Kyiv and Moscow to negotiate, Leavitt said.
Trump also expressed growing frustration with leaders “from both countries” and “emphasized the need for a permanent ceasefire to end the bloodshed,” Leavitt added.
Trump, Sunday night, described Zelensky as “calmer” and urged Putin to “stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal.”
“I think what happens over the next few days, we’ll learn a lot,” Trump said: “We have a tough road ahead.”