Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine next month, a move met with skepticism by Ukrainian officials who demanded the Kremlin leader immediately accept a longer truce proposal from the United States that he has so far rejected.

Donald Trump met Volodymyr Zelensky at Pope Francis’s funeral and later questioned Vladimir Putin’s commitment to ending the Ukraine warTrump suggested Moscow’s latest strikes on Kyiv indicated Russia may not be serious about peace,

President Trump "wants to see a permanent ceasefire first, to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.