It is the second time in less than two weeks that the Russian president has called a halt to fighting without committing to a long-term end to the war.

Moscow has rejected Kyiv’s push for a 30-day ceasefire and insisted that a three-day truce timed to coincide with Victory Day celebrations would constitute the beginning of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations without preconditions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a three-day ceasefire in the war with Ukraine next month to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War Two.