Russia and Ukraine have confirmed on Friday that they have agreed to a three-day ceasefire, under the auspices of the United States, which will extend from May 9 to May 11. American President Donald Trump expressed hope that this truce will be extended.
The announcement of this temporary ceasefire by Trump on Truth Social earlier in the day also specified that each country, engaged in a conflict for over four years, would proceed to an exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war.
‘I would like to see a significant extension,’ Trump told reporters on Friday night. ‘It’s possible.’
Kyiv and Moscow have mutually accused each other of violating declared ceasefires separately this week, as Russia prepares to organize the Victory Day parade on May 9, marking the Soviet victory of 1945 over Nazi Germany.
Trump shows increasing frustration over the lack of progress in ending the war between Ukraine and Russia. A cessation of hostilities offers a glimmer of hope to the American president, whose war against Iran-backed forces in Israel has weighed on his domestic popularity. Efforts to end the conflict with Iran, now in its third month, appear to be stalled amid heightened tensions in the Gulf.
The ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia would include a suspension of any ‘cinematic activity’ and an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
‘This request was made directly by myself, and I greatly appreciate that it was accepted by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Let’s hope this is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and fierce war,’ he stated.
Trump added that discussions were ongoing to end the conflict and ‘we are getting closer every day.’
Zelensky, speaking on Telegram, confirmed that the ceasefire was organized as part of American negotiation efforts and that humanitarian issues remained a top priority.
‘That is why today, as part of the mediation process led by the American side, we received Russia’s agreement to proceed with an exchange of prisoners of war in a 1,000 against 1,000 format,’ Zelensky wrote.
Zelensky also issued a sarcastic decree ‘authorizing’ the Russian military parade on May 9 while asserting that Ukrainian weapons would not target Red Square. Russia warned that any attempt by Ukraine to disrupt the parade on Saturday would trigger a massive missile strike on Kyiv.
Friday’s news follows what Zelensky described as substantive discussions between American and Ukrainian officials in Miami, with American envoys expected to travel to Kyiv in the coming months.
Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov, speaking on behalf of Putin, stated that Russia had also accepted Trump’s initiative.
‘An agreement on this issue was reached during our telephone discussions with the American administration,’ he specified.
Moscow’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin declared that Moscow’s air defenses had intercepted Ukrainian drones heading towards the capital over a period of seven hours ending around 8:00 PM local time (5:00 PM GMT). Since Trump announced the ceasefire, Moscow has issued such a notice.
Previously, Russia and Ukraine had accused each other of violating declared ceasefires separately.
The two sides continue to engage in violent clashes with missiles, drones, and artillery, with no apparent resolution to the conflict. Peace talks are at a standstill, with Ukraine rejecting Putin’s demand to cede territories it has successfully defended since 2022.
DISTINCT CEASEFIRES
Putin unilaterally declared a two-day ceasefire, Friday and Saturday, to cover Victory Day commemorations – Russia’s most revered national holiday.
Kyiv responded that a limited ceasefire for this celebration alone was inappropriate and called for an indefinite ceasefire starting two days earlier, which Moscow ignored.
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people during World War II, including several million in Ukraine, but pushed back the Nazi forces to Berlin, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide and the Soviet flag of victory was raised on the Reichstag in May 1945.
This year’s Moscow parade – usually a display of Russian military might with intercontinental ballistic missiles and tanks – will not feature any military equipment.
Moscow’s troops have been fighting in Ukraine for over four years, longer than the Soviet engagement from 1941 to 1945 in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War.
Russia, which controls around 19.4% of Ukraine, has seen its advance slow down this year, capturing only 700 km² in the first four months of the year, according to pro-Ukrainian maps.
