Rosenberg: What's Putin trying to achieve by calling a three-day ceasefire?
EPAWhen is a ceasefire a genuine attempt to secure peace? And when is it simply PR?
It's a question that's been asked a lot lately.
Mostly in relation to Russia's president.
Short ceasefires are becoming quite the Kremlin thing.
First, Vladimir Putin declared a 30-hour cessation of hostilities over Easter, portraying it as a "humanitarian" gesture.
Now the Kremlin leader has announced a three-day unilateral truce for early May. It will run from 8 May to 10 May to coincide with events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
In a statement, the Kremlin said that for 72 hours all military actions would cease. It cited "humanitarian" considerations (again) and made it clear Moscow expected Ukraine to follow suit.
In response to the proposal, Ukraine questioned why Russia could not commit to a ceasefire immediately and called for one to be implemented for at least 30 days.
"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, adding: "Why wait until May 8th">The bill's age is a victory for the White House, which warned that failure would be a "betrayal".
