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.

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

The special envoy of the U.S. President, General Keith Kellogg, rejected Vladimir Putin's proposal for a "three-day ceasefire," stating that the United States is interested in a long-term ceasefire. "A three-day casefire is absurd,