White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt said that US President Donald Trump seeks a complete ceasefire in Ukraine, responding to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer of a temporary truce during Victory Day celebrations.
Russian President declared on 28 April a “ceasefire” to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory Day commemorating the defeat of Nazism in World War II. The temparary truce is scheduled to begin at midnight on 8 May and last until midnight on 11 May. All combat operations will reportedlt stop during this period.
“As I understand, Vladimir Putin offered a temporary ceasefire on this morning. The President [US President Donald Trump] has made it clear that he wants a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killings, stop the bloodshed. While he remains optimistic he can strike a deal,” Levitt said during the press conference.
She added that Trump is “increasingly frustrated with leaders of both countries” and believes Ukraine and Russia must begin negotiations to resolve the war.
The recently announced Putin’s proposal for “truce” follows a previous Easter ceasefire when Putin ordered a halt to “all combat operations” from 6:00 pm on 19 April until midnight on 21 April. President Zelenskyy responded that Ukraine would reciprocate, implementing “silence in response to silence, defensive strikes in response to strikes.”
However, Ukraine reportedly documented over 3,000 violations of the “truce” by Russian forces on 20 April alone.
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