The Russian government has announced it will stop fighting in Ukraine for a few days to honor the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, which marks the Soviet Union’s win over Nazi Germany in World War II. This announcement comes while U.S. President Donald Trump has been putting heavy pressure on Russia to bring the war to an end.
President Vladimir Putin said that the ceasefire will start at midnight on May 7 and will last until midnight on May 11. Russian state news reported that all fighting would be paused during this time. The Kremlin explained that this decision was made based on “humanitarian reasons” because of the important anniversary. They also called on Ukraine to agree to the ceasefire and warned that if Ukraine breaks it, Russia would respond strongly and quickly.
Russia said again that they are open to peace talks without any preconditions. They claimed they are willing to work with international partners to find a solution to the conflict. However, many remain skeptical because Russia has broken ceasefires in the past — for example, when they said they would stop attacking energy infrastructure but continued anyway.
This ceasefire announcement follows a major overnight attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Russian missiles and drones struck the city, injuring at least 90 people and killing 12. It was one of the deadliest attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has often avoided criticizing Russia, spoke out this time. He said he was “not happy” about the attacks and posted a direct message to Putin on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying: “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the missile strike as one of Russia’s worst acts of aggression. Videos shared online showed a North Korean missile — a KN-23 model — hitting Kyiv. Zelensky later said that parts of the missile were made with materials from several countries, including the United States. He criticized the international community, saying that weak action against Russia and North Korea has made it possible for weapons like these to end up being used in Europe.
Although Russia and North Korea deny that they are trading weapons, Ukraine insists that North Korea has sent military supplies to Russia, including artillery, rocket launchers, soldiers, and ballistic missiles — specifically around 148 of them, of the KN-23 and KN-24 types.
The missile strike came at a tense moment, just as weeks of peace talks were stalling without any progress. It also happened shortly after Trump criticized President Zelensky for not being willing to give up Crimea — the region Russia seized in 2014 — as a way to help end the war. Trump suggested that by refusing to compromise, Zelensky was helping to prolong the bloodshed.
