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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week in Ukraine to mark Victory Day in World War II as the U.S. presses for a deal to end the 3-year-old war. Kyiv insisted on a longer and immediate truce.

While Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day ceasefire, President Trump in recent days has questioned the Russian president's desire for peace with Ukraine. Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,