U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday a three-day ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, effective from May 9th to May 11th.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that the truce would include a complete cessation of all military activities, as well as a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country. He added: "Hopefully this will be the beginning of the end of a very long, bloody and difficult war," while noting ongoing progress in talks to resolve the conflict.
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Moscow Confirms Agreement
Russia confirmed the truce and the large-scale prisoner exchange. Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin's foreign policy advisor, told reporters: "I confirm the Russian side's acceptance of the initiative proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a ceasefire for an exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine."
Ushakov explained that the truce initiative was reached with Kyiv during Victory Day celebrations following a recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump.
1,000-for-1,000 Prisoner Swap
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the three-day ceasefire reached as part of U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the four-year-long war. Writing on Telegram, Zelenskyy noted that both sides would exchange 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs), emphasizing that humanitarian issues remain a top priority for Ukraine.
"Today, within the negotiation process mediated by the American side, we received Russia's consent to conduct a 1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange," Zelenskyy wrote.
Orders to the Ukrainian Military
Zelenskyy also announced that he had ordered the military not to target Red Square in Moscow during the Russian Victory Day parade on May 9th. A decree published on the presidency's website stated: "For the duration of the parade, starting from 10:00 AM Kyiv time on May 9, 2026, the Red Square area is excluded from the Ukrainian weapons deployment plan."
Mutual Accusations
These developments come after Russia and Ukraine earlier exchanged accusations of violating a previous two-day ceasefire announced by Moscow to coincide with the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down 264 Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Friday morning, according to Reuters.
