Russia and Ukraine confirmed Friday they have agreed to a three-day ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange following a surprise diplomatic intervention by President Donald Trump.
The deal, which Trump first announced on Truth Social, will pause fighting from May 9 through May 11 to coincide with Victory Day celebrations in Russia. As part of the agreement, the two warring sides will swap 1,000 prisoners each.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the breakthrough in a post on X, noting that the humanitarian need to recover captured troops took priority over military strikes on Moscow during the annual Victory Day parade.
“Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home,” Zelenskyy said. He credited the “negotiating process mediated by the American side” for securing the deal and thanked Trump and his team for their involvement.
In Moscow, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed Russia’s participation in the ceasefire, the state-run TASS news agency reported.
Zelensky stated he has instructed his team to “promptly prepare” for the 2,000-person exchange and called on the United States to ensure Russia fulfills its end of the bargain.
The agreement brings an end to a confusing week of rival ceasefires between the two warring countries.
Russia, as in past years, had initially announced it would unilaterally observe a ceasefire on May 8-9. Ukraine later responded by proposing its own ceasefire for May 5-6.
Both sides had accused each other of violating their respective ceasefires. The Russian Defense Ministry warned it would carry out a major strike on the center of Kyiv if Ukrainian attacks on Saturday disrupted Victory Day celebrations.
