(NewsNation) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has unilaterally announced a temporary ceasefire in his nation’s conflict with Ukraine set to begin May 8 and end May 11, the latter date coinciding with Russia’s annual celebration of its victory over the Nazis in World War II.
“We’re going to look at what Putin does, not what he says,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Monday when asked about the ceasefire and its potential to end the war. “We need to see real action that indicates these parties, in particular President Putin, is serious about stopping the carnage.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 started a war that has since become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. The announcement of the unilateral ceasefire followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s weekend meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after which Trump said Ukraine may be willing to cede Crimea to Russia in exchange for peace.
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Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Previously, Ukraine had stated that it would not consider any peace agreement with Russia that would result in the loss of the region, a stance it continues to emphasize publicly.
Bruce said that if Russia and Ukraine are unable to reach a peace agreement on their own, the U.S. will “begin to look at other options” to end hostilities, with increased economic sanctions on Russia being one such option.
“The additional sanctions the president hinted at indicates that we’re not going to walk away, that this matters to us,” Bruce told Vargas. “If anyone can get a (peace deal) done, it’s President Trump.”
