Putin announces new three-day temporary ceasefire for May public holiday
Russia was accused by Kyiv and its European allies of breaching the previous temporary truce on Easter Sunday
Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine next weekend to mark the 80th anniversary of victory in WW2, the Kremlin has said.
The 72-hour ceasefire is the second announced by Moscow in recent weeks, after it declared a 30-hour Easter Sunday truce - which Kyiv and its European allies accused it of breaching.
The Kremlin said the truce will last from the beginning of 8 May and last until the close of 10 May, adding that Russia give an “adequate and effective response” to any Ukrainian violations. Moscow remains ready for peace talks without any preconditions, the statement added.
Mr Putin is looking to win back favour with Donald Trump, after the US president said he was “very disappointed” in Russia’s continued bombardment of civilian areas in Ukraine.
Mr Trump also said he believes Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to give up Crimea in order to strike a peace deal with Russia.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un confirmed he sent his troops to support Russian president Vladimir Putin’s war efforts in Ukraine for the first time.
Mr Kim said his deployment order was meant to "annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area”.
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Moscow waiting for signal from Kyiv regarding direct negotiations - Kremlin
Moscow is waiting for a signal from Ukraine from Kyiv regarding direct negotiations to end the war, the Kremlin said on Monday before calling for a temporary truce.
There are no signs of any movement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, three days after revealing that the prospect of direct talks had been raised in a three-hour meeting between Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday.
Asked by a reporter if the signal for direct talks should come from Ukraine or the United States, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Well, from Kyiv, at least Kyiv should take some actions in this regard. They have a legal ban on this. But so far we don't see any action."
Kyiv accuses Russia of playing for time in an attempt to seize more territory, while Moscow has accused Ukraine of being unwilling to make any concessions and only seeking a ceasefire on its own terms.
Putin meets with key speakers following ceasefire announcement
Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with the Federation Council speaker Valentina Matviyenko and Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin in Saint Petersburg.
It comes after he announced a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine next month.
Putin has also been addressing а meeting of the Federal Assembly's Council of Legislators in Saint Petersburg, thanking MPs for making a "significant contribution” to “victory".
Ukraine offers assistance to Spain and Portugal blackouts
Ukraine is no stranger to power blackouts, having dealt with them so routinely since Russia’s invasion.
As a result, Ukraine was ready to assist in restoring energy networks after blackouts hit Spain and Portugal, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galuschenko said.
"We are ready to share the knowledge and experience, including those gained during the systematic Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure," Galuschenko said in a post on X.
Russia launches 166 drones at Ukraine through Monday
Ukrainian air defences shot down 40 out of 166 drones launched by Russia in multiple attacks on Monday, the Ukrainian air force said.
A total of 74 Russian drones were redirected by electronic warfare, it said in a statement. Damages were registered in four regions - in the east, northeast, and centre of the country.
Watch: Trump claims Zelensky ready to give up Crimea after meeting at Pope Francis' funeral
US calls for North Korea's military deployment in Russia's war to end
The US State Department said it was concerned by North Korea's direct involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine and that Pyongyang's military deployment for Russia must end.
"We continue to be concerned by (North Korea's) direct involvement in the war. (North Korea's) military deployment to Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation to (North Korea) in return must end," a State Department spokesperson said in an email to Reuters, adding third countries like North Korea "bear responsibility" for the war.
Ukraine denies Putin's claims over recapturing Kursk
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has denied his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s congratulatory wishes celebrating the recapture of Kursk and said Ukrainian forces remain active in the region.
Ukrainian forces remained active in both Kursk and Belgorod regions, he said on his Telegram channel.
Quoting a report from top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, Mr Zelensky also said Russian forces had mounted nearly 70 attacks on Ukrainian positions yesterday, with conditions remaining "difficult" in many areas.
Most of the battles, Mr Zelensky said, were continuing in three sectors of the eastern front: Pokrovsk, a Russian target for months, as well as Kramatorsk and Lyman.
His comments come shortly after Mr Putin telephoned his top commanders in Kursk to congratulate them on "victory" and the end of the operation to expel Ukrainian forces from the region in western Russia, Russian news agencies quoted the Kremlin as saying yesterday.
The state RIA news agency earlier reported that a Russian military commander told Mr Putin that "the scattered remnants" of the Ukrainian army remaining in Kursk region would soon be destroyed.
Ukrainian officials say they will never accept surrender of Crimea
Ukrainian officials are said to have been shocked by a US proposal for a ceasefire deal with Russia that included formal recognition of Moscow’s authority over Crimea.
While Kyiv expects to have to concede territory to Russia, at least temporarily, in the terms of any truce, the idea of a legal or formal surrender of Crimea – which Vladimir Putin annexed illegally in 2014 – would be impossible, officials say.
According to experts, it would require a change to the Ukrainian constitution and a nationwide vote, and it could be considered treason. Lawmakers and the public are firmly opposed to the idea.
"It doesn't mean anything," Oleksandr Merezkho, a lawmaker with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's party, told the Associated Press in Kyiv. "We will never recognise Crimea as part of Russia."
South Korea condemns Kim Jong Un's troops deployment in Ukraine war
The confirmation from Kim Jong Un of North Korea’s troop deployment is an "admission of criminal act”, South Korea has said as it condemned North’s “inhumane and immoral” decision.
"With their public admission of the deployment, while claiming they are fully in accordance with international law, they are once again mocking the international community. We strongly condemn this action," South Korea’s foreign ministry said.
"The dispatch of the North Korean troops, along with broader military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, constitutes a grave violation of international norms, including the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions," it said.
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