Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a three-day Ukraine war ceasefire to take place in May, but the White House says it isn’t good enough.
President Donald Trump wants a permanent end to Russia’s war on Ukraine, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House − and he is losing patience with both Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“He wants to see a permanent cease-fire and I understand Vladimir Putin this morning offered a temporary ceasefire,” Leavitt said. “The president has made clear he wants to see a permanent cease-fire first, to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed.”
“While he remains optimistic he can strike a deal, he also is being realistic as well,” Leavitt said. “Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this.”
Ceasefire to honor World War II victory
Putin announced the ceasefire in Moscow to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War II.
The Kremlin said the 72-hour ceasefire would run for three days either side of May 9, when Putin will be hosting international leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping for lavish celebrations to commemorate victory over Nazi Germany.
“All military actions are suspended for this period. Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” it said in a statement.