Ukraine war latest: Putin announces temporary ceasefire - after Trump criticism (2025)

Berlin has told its European allies they can "count on" Germany after it pledged to boost its defence spending.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier pledged to make the country "the backbone" of European defence in the face of continued Russian aggression.

"Today, with Putin's war against Ukraine raging on in full force, and with the US putting fierce pressure on its European allies, Germany is in a crucial position," he told a NATO ceremony in Brussels.

"We got the message, you can count on us... We will strive to make Germany, both its military and its infrastructure, the backbone of conventional defence in Europe."

Germany recently approved plans to boost its defence spending by €500bn (£424bn).

Crimea is crucial in US-led efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

The peninsula, which was illegally annexed byRussiain 2014, has long been coveted by Moscow, who wantUkraineto officially surrender the territory as part of a peace deal.

Volodymyr Zelenskyyhas rejected this on multiple occasions, saying that formally surrendering the land has always been a red line, and goes against Kyiv's constitution.

But he faces increasing pressure from Donald Trump, who told reporters he thinks the Ukrainian leader is ready to give up the peninsula.

So why is Crimea just so important to Russia and Ukraine? Read our explainer to find out...

Ukraine's air force says Russia launched 166 drones at the country overnight and today.

In a post on Telegram, it says the northern Sumy region and central Cherkasy region were the main targets of Russia's aerial attacks.

Of the drones launched, Ukraine says 40 were shot down by its air defences and another 74 were lost in location, referring to the use of electronic warfare to misdirect drones.

Ukraine is a country that knows how to deal with power blackouts, having done so routinely since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and its subsequent attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.

Now, as huge blackouts hit Spain and Portugal, Ukraine's energy minister has offered his country's support in dealing with the crisis.

Posting on X, German Galushchenko said Ukraine was "ready to assist in restoring the stable operation of the energy networks of our partners and allies in Europe".

"We are ready to share the knowledge and experience, including those gained during the systematic Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure. We are grateful to the EU countries for their support and we are always here to provide assistance," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been busy following his announcement of a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine next month.

He's been addressing а meeting of the Federal Assembly's Council of Legislators in Saint Petersburg, thanking MPs for making a "significant contribution to our victory".

"They support frontline troops and veterans, and many of them have personally joined the ranks of volunteers and defenders of the Fatherland," he says.

"This is undoubtendly a powerful and courageous act that commands special and sincere respect."

Donald Trump has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire in Ukraine rather than any temporary pauses in fighting, the White House press secretary says.

Karoline Leavitt was speaking shortly after Vladimir Putin announced he would order all Moscow's forces to pause fighting from 8-11 May, coinciding with Russia's celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

"I understand Vladimir Putin this morning offered a temporary ceasefire," she said. "The president has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killing and stop the bloodshed."

Leavitt said Trump "remains optimistic he can strike a deal", but added the US president was "increasingly frustrated with leaders of both countries", who both "need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this".

Despite this, Trump said last night that he felt Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was acting "calmer" after the pair's meeting in St Peter's Basilica over the weekend.

Leavitt added that meeting between the two leaders showed Trump "wants to be a peacemaker president, which he was in his first term", adding he "intends to do that again".

We've now had some response from Ukraine to Russia's proposal of a three-day ceasefire next week.

Posting on X, Andrii Sybiha, Kyiv's foreign minister, says that if Russia "truly wants peace", it must cease all fighting immediately.

He asks why Moscow should wait until 8 May to start the ceasefire and prove "it is real, not just for a parade".

The Kremlin has announced that from 8-11 May it will order all its forces to lay down its weapons in Ukraine.

The pause in fighting, Moscow says, is centred around Russia's 80th anniversary celebrations marking the end of the Second World War and is "guided by humanitarian motives".

But why has Vladimir Putin really pushed for this ceasefire? Here are three potential reasons that military analysts believe he did...

Placating US?

The US is clearly growing impatient with Russia seemingly dragging its feet on a permanent ceasefire, with Donald Trump saying he's been "disappointed" in Moscow of late.

It comes as relations between the US and Ukraine have warmed following the "miracle" meeting between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in St Peter's Basilica over the weekend.

Military analyst Professor Michael Clarke says he's certain Putin is announcing a three-day pause in fighting in response to Trump getting tougher with the Russian leader after his Zelenskyy meeting.

"The atmosphere change between Zelenskyy and Trump - undoubtedly President Trump has indicated more irritation with the Russians. And I think the Russians feel they've got to say something."

He says there's a better chance of this ceasefire being honoured compared to Putin's "Easter truce" as there's more time for both sides to prepare.

However, Clarke adds that Washington is clearly impatient for a full ceasefire and that this pause "won't come quick enough" for the US.

Protecting Moscow

One reason already being suggested by several analysts and experts is that Putin wants to protect Moscow from Ukrainian drones during its Red Square Victory Day parade.

Moscow is hosting around 20 foreign leaders on 9 May for the event, which will this year mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War.

Among those heading to the Russian capital for the event are Chinese President Xi Jinping, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Chance to move troops

There's little doubt that a pause in fighting would bring much-needed respite for Ukrainian troops fighting on the frontlines in the east of the country.

However, it might also be the perfect chance for Moscow to reinvigorate its own war machine by using the cessation in hostilities to move its troops around the battlefield without distraction.

Phillips O'Brien, a professor in strategic studies at the University of St Andrews, believes Moscow wants to use the pause for exactly this.

"The Russian army is getting mauled," he said on X. "This gives it three days to regroup and get more soldiers to the front (really hard to do with the skies patrolled by drones), before it starts attacking again."

In our last post we mentioned that Donald Trump was "disappointed" with Vladimir Putin over Russia's attacks on Ukraine while talks to secure peace are ongoing.

Among the most deadly of Moscow's recent strikes hit Kyiv last week, where the authorities say the death toll has now risen from 12 to 13 after a 45-year-old man died in hospital.

The ballistic missile strike, which also injured around 90 others, was the deadliest launched by Russian on Ukraine's capital since July 2024.

Volodymyr Zelenskyyhonoured the memory of those killed in the attack at a service in Kyiv. He has insisted that Russia's ongoing strikes prove it is not interested in long-term peace.

Vladimir Putin's proposal for a short ceasefire next month comes following more pressure from Donald Trump for Russia to "reach a deal" in Ukraine.

Speaking before boarding Air Force One yesterday, the US president said he was "disappointed" at Russia's ongoing strikes in Ukraine taking place in the background of peace talks.

"I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal," Trump said of Putin. "I want him to sign it and be done with it."

Watch: Trump urges Putin to 'sit down and sign a deal'

Trump also said he believes Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to give up Crimea as part of a peace deal.

That's despite Ukraine's president insisting that Kyiv would not give up the peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.