US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Russia and Ukraine will observe a three-day ceasefire from May 9 to May 11 as part of commemorations marking Russia’s Victory Day at the end of World War II.
In a post on Truth Social Trump said the temporary truce would involve a halt to all military operations and a prisoner exchange of 1,000 detainees from each side.
He said he hoped the pause could serve as a meaningful step toward ending what he described as a long, deadly, and hard-fought conflict, adding that diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a broader peace agreement were continuing to make progress.
The announcement follows Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 29, after which he said discussions on a temporary ceasefire were moving forward.
Russia had earlier announced a separate ceasefire for May 8 and May 9, coinciding with annual events marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, including the traditional military parade in Moscow’s Red Square.
Ukraine, meanwhile, proposed its own open-ended ceasefire beginning at midnight on Tuesday, while urging Moscow to respond with a similar commitment.
On Thursday, officials confirmed that Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov had arrived in Miami for a series of meetings with US representatives, as diplomatic efforts to end the war have slowed in recent months.
The US-backed negotiations remain stalled over the eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow is demanding that Kyiv withdraw its forces from areas Russian troops have not fully captured during the more than four-year war.
Ukraine has rejected those demands, maintaining that it will not relinquish territory currently under its control.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of violating previously announced ceasefires, underscoring the continuing challenges facing efforts to secure a lasting settlement.
