Russia said Thursday it will observe a temporary cease-fire in Ukraine during Victory Day commemorations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, while Ukrainian and U.S. officials prepare for fresh talks aimed at reviving stalled negotiations over the war.
"During the celebration of the 81st anniversary of the Soviet people's victory in the Great Patriotic War, from midnight on May 8 to May 10, the Russian side is declaring a ceasefire," the ministry said on Telegram.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had on Monday declared that a two-day ceasefire would be observed.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's top negotiator Rustem Umerov is expected to meet his U.S. counterparts in Florida Thursday in a bid to revive the mostly frozen talks on ending Russia's invasion, Kyiv and Washington said.
U.S.-mediated talks on ending Europe's worst conflict since World War II have shown little progress since February, when Washington shifted focus to its war against Iran.
"The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine will hold a series of meetings today with envoys of the President of the United States," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, referring to Umerov.
"First, the humanitarian track. We hope it will be possible to carry out a new stage of the release of prisoners. Second, the reinvigoration of the diplomatic process," Zelenskyy added.
The White House later confirmed Zelenskyy's announcement, saying Umerov would meet with US officials in Miami.
Umerov last met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Florida between March 21-22.
The Thursday meeting will come just days after the U.S. announced the approval of a relatively rare sale of weaponry to Kyiv – a $373.6 million deal for extended-range bomb kits and related equipment.
Since returning to office early last year, Trump has pushed Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate. But months of talks have failed to bring the warring parties closer to an agreement to stop the fighting, triggered by Russia's invasion more than four years ago.
The already stalled talks were put on the back burner from late February, when the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began.
Even before the Middle East war, Russia and Ukraine remained at odds over the key issue of territory.
Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines.
But Russia has rejected this, saying it wants the whole of the Donetsk region despite it being partly controlled by Ukraine– a demand Kyiv says is unacceptable.
