An elusive peace: Charting ceasefire attempts in Ukraine

Since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, there have been many attempts to implement a lasting end to the violence of its ongoing war in Ukraine .

Over more than a decade, Ukraine, its European supporters and the United States have tried to resolve the crisis. All have been unsuccessful.

What is the latest ceasefire proposal?

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a new round of ceasefire negotiations in Istanbul on May 15.

His announcement came as Russia commenced a fresh drone attack on Kyiv following the end of a unilateral three-day "truce" declared by Russia.

European leaders rebuffed the proposal of direct talks, however, without an unconditional ceasefire first being enacted by Russia and Ukraine. That was a view also expressed by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The latest developments come amid months of prolonged negotiations between the US and Ukraine, and, separately, between American and Russian diplomats.

Before his election to the US presidency in November, Donald Trump committed to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict on his first day in office. While that hasn't been the case, his administration has continually sought to broker an agreement to draw the war to a close.

A history of broken ceasefires

No lasting ceasefire has been achieved since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

But the conflict has seen the implementation of several short-term agreements. Both nations have repeatedly accused each other of violating these agreements, as well as ceasefires declared by just one side.

As the aggressor in the conflict, Russia has also breached several pacts designed to secure Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Budapest Memorandum and 1997 Russian-Ukrainian Treaty of Friendship

The Budapest Memorandum is an agreement between Russia and Ukraine reached on December 5, 1994 and co-signed by the United States and United Kingdom.

The memorandum was enacted after Ukraine agreed to surrender the nuclear weapons it inherited from the USSR to Russia. In exchange for this act, the memorandum committed Russia, the US and UK to "respect the Independence and Sovereignty and the existing borders” and "refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.”

It's not the only agreement intended to protect Ukraine. The joint 1997 Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership commits both parties to "mutual respect and trust" and "respect each other's territorial integrity."

While not ceasefire agreements, both pacts are intended to prevent conflict between the two nations. By invading and annexing Crimea in 2014 and continuing to invade and attack Ukrainian territory, Russia has repeatedly breached its obligations under both the memorandum and treaty.

Minsk agreements

Two agreements, both signed in Russia-allied Belarus and supported by European powers, were insufficient to secure peace.

So named for the Belarusian capital, these agreements were implemented on September 5, 2014 (as "Minsk I") and February 12, 2015 (as "Minsk 2"). Minsk I had a dozen stipulations regarding the deescalation of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, which broke out in February of that year, but failed within days. 

The signing of Minsk II saw Ukraine, Russia, separatist forces in the regions of Donestsk and Luhansk and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe agree on 13 points, led by an immediate ceasefire. But within hours of the midnight truce coming into effect, both sides had accused each other of violating the pact.

2022 escalation and ceasefire breakdowns

Since Russia's full-scale invasion, several short-term ceasefires have been repeatedly breached.

March 6, 2022: A short-term humanitarian ceasefire after the start of Russia's invasion collapsed amid reported shelling in the city of Mariupol.

March 8, 2022: Ongoing attempts to build humanitarian evacuation corridors led to accusations of Russian forces impeding civilians from fleeing.

January 7, 2023: Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire to observe Orthodox Christmas. Within hours of the ceasefire, Ukrainian leaders reported shelling by Russian forces had resumed, while Russian state media said drone attacks against its lines had occurred.

March 18, 2025: Talks conducted in Saudi Arabia between the US and Russia led to an agreement for a 30-day "energy and infrastructure" ceasefirefollowing a phone call between Trump and Putin. Zelenskyy agreed to a partial ceasefire in line with these discussions.

March 25, 2025: US-led negotiations saw Ukraine and Russia agreeing not to attack each other in the Black Sea, a vital shipping route.

March 27, 2025: Both Ukraine and Russia accused each other of violating the temporary halt to attacking energy infrastructure.

April 19, 2025: Putin declared an "Easter truce" from 6 p.m. local time on April 19 to midnight on April 21, ostensibly for humanitarian reasons. Ukraine expressed skepticism at the declaration, with Zelenskyy saying drone attacks were ongoing. He later alleged thousands of front-line violations had been committed by Russia during the truce period.

May 10, 2025: Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. However, Ukraine accused Russia of violating its own ceasefire some 734 times.

This article was originally published on May 11, 2025, and has subsequently been updated.

Edited by: Ruairi Casey