Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that Russia would commence a three-day cessation of operations against Ukraine, though all announcements from the Kremlin regarding the war should be carefully scrutinized.

The Kremlin said the decision to suspend “all military actions” from midnight May 8 to midnight May 11 to coincide with World War II Victory Day commemorations was based on “humanitarian considerations.”

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The announcement comes a couple of weeks after the Russian military carried out several attacks during a 30-hour ceasefire that Putin unilaterally announced, overlapping with Easter. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said there were nearly 3,000 violations of the ceasefire in that short period, while Russian leaders also accused Ukraine of violating the agreement.

Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire, but Russia has not, raising questions as to why it hasn’t, and instead has announced another short-term unilateral deal.

Russia has continued offensive strikes in Ukraine far from the front lines this month, which has frustrated the Trump administration as it has pushed Ukraine to make concessions to convince Russia to end the conflict.

Simultaneously, the Kremlin has seemingly increased its demands to achieve a lasting peace.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said an “imperative” part of any deal would be for Russian-annexed Ukrainian territory to be “internationally recognized as Russian territories.”

While the Trump administration has indicated a willingness to push Ukraine to give up that territory as a concession to end the war, getting Europe on board with such a move will presumably be much harder, considering it has a much more pro-Ukraine stance than the Trump administration, which is primarily focused on ending the conflict.

The Trump administration has opted to stop criticizing Moscow for the war, arguing that doing so, like the Biden administration did, only makes getting Moscow to agree to a ceasefire harder, though it’s still yet to be seen if this policy change will have a meaningful impact.

“Well, because I think we’re still hoping to see that this effort works out in diplomacy and that we can bring these two sides closer together. I mean, the minute you start doing that kind of stuff, you’re walking away — you’re walking away from it,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, referencing sanctions on Russia. “You’ve now doomed yourself to another two years of war, and we don’t want to see it happen.”

The Russians have taken note of the changed U.S. strategy and have decided to push for more concessions, such as demanding that the international community recognize their annexed territory.

Rubio noted that “both sides are going to have to give up something they claim to want and are going to have to give the other side something they wish they didn’t.”

The United States, notably, has urged Ukraine to give up the territory Russia currently occupies — about 20% of the country — and has effectively ruled out Ukraine’s ascension into the NATO alliance, both of which are major concessions contradicting what Ukraine wants. It’s unclear what the U.S. expects Moscow to give up to get a deal done.

TRUMP’S DIPLOMATIC OVERTURES TO PUTIN FALL ON DEAF EARS

Trump and multiple Cabinet officials have said the U.S.’s patience is running out, and they could walk away from these negotiations. If that were to happen, it would presumably hurt Ukraine more than Russia, as Russia is the prohibiting side in ending the battle Moscow launched.

Experts argue that another way to push Moscow to the table is to continue to aid Ukraine militarily — even by letting Ukraine purchase U.S. weapons — to deter Russian aggression further.