WASHINGTON − 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."
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.
"In the event of violations by the Ukrainian side, Russia's armed forces will give an adequate and effective response."
There was no immediate reply from Kyiv to the unilateral truce announcement − the second by Putin in quick succession. A 30-hour Easter ceasefire was declared, but each side accused the other of violating the agreement countless times.
Against a background of increasing impatience from the United States, both moves appeared to be attempts by the Kremlin leader to signal Trump that Russia is still interested in peace.
Ukraine and its European allies say they do not believe Putin and have pushed back against U.S. proposals they see as skewed toward Russia.
The latest announcement came after Trump criticized Putin for a deadly Russian attack on Kyiv days ago and voiced concern that Putin was "just tapping me along." Washington has threatened to abandon its peace efforts unless there is real progress.
Zelenskyy, who met Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral in Rome on April 26, has said Kyiv would be ready to talk to Moscow once a ceasefire was in place.
Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said April 28 that Russia's attacks contradicted the Kremlin's statements about wanting peace.
"Russia is not ceasing fire at the front and is attacking Ukraine with Shaheds right now," Yermak wrote on Telegram before the ceasefire announcement, referring to Iranian-made drones widely used by Russian forces.
"All the Russians' statements about peace without ceasing fire are just plain lies."
Leavitt, blaming Russia's invasion on former President Joe Biden, called the war "an incredibly difficult situation and conflict." Trump, she said, "is focused on solving this problem."