U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt military operations May 9-11, coinciding with Victory Day commemorations, and exchange 1,000 prisoners each.
4:03 PM
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for May 9, 10, and 11, stating that both President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky have accepted the proposal.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, saying he made the request directly. "I am pleased to announce that there will be a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine," Trump wrote. "The celebration in Russia is for Victory Day, but so too in Ukraine, as Ukraine also played an important role in World War II."
The ceasefire will include a suspension of all military activity and an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each country, according to Trump's statement. "This request was made directly by me, and I am very grateful for its acceptance by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky," Trump said.
The timing coincides with Victory Day on May 9, which commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Russia had previously announced a unilateral two-day ceasefire for the occasion. Ukraine had separately declared it offered a truce beginning Wednesday, but said Moscow ignored the proposal.
Trump expressed hope that the ceasefire could lead to a broader resolution. "Let us hope that this is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly and hard-fought war," he wrote. "Conversations continue to end this great conflict, the largest since World War II, and each day we are getting closer to achieving it."
Zelensky responded to Trump's announcement on social media, thanking him for his diplomatic engagement in mediating the agreement.
President Zelenskyy announced a unilateral ceasefire starting May 6, saying no official Russian proposal had been received, after Moscow offered a two-day pause for WWII anniversary.
President Trump extended a temporary truce with Iran pending submission of a unified proposal, while keeping U.S. military blockade in place.
President Trump said Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks following White House talks with representatives from both countries.
President Zelensky says Ukrainian long-range strikes have reached Perm, Chelyabinsk, and Yekaterinburg, targeting Russia's military-industrial complex.
Russian forces conducted nearly 100 attacks across three days on Ukrainian region, targeting civilian infrastructure and residential areas.
