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Donald Trump announced this Friday that the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, accepted his proposal for a three-day ceasefire between the two countries, effective from May 9 to 11, coinciding with the Victory Day celebrations.
The U.S. leader made the announcement via his social media platform, Truth Social, where he detailed that the truce would include "the suspension of all military activities and an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each country."
"I made this request myself, and I am deeply grateful for its acceptance by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy," Trump wrote, expressing his hope that the agreement would be "the beginning of the end of a very long, bloody, and fiercely fought war."
Zelenski confirmed on Friday that Ukraine received Moscow's approval for a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000, and emphasized that "a ceasefire regime must also be established on the 9th, 10th, and 11th of May."
The Ukrainian president later confirmed the ceasefire.
Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, holds significant symbolic weight in both Russia and Ukraine, as both countries were key players in the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The announcement comes after intense prior diplomatic activity. On Thursday, Ukraine's chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, met in Florida with Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in an effort to revive peace talks.
The immediate context was marked by mutual accusations. The Russian Ministry of Defense had unilaterally declared a limited ceasefire for May 8 and 9, accusing Ukraine of not respecting it, while Zelenski reported more than 140 documented Russian attacks on the front during the night from Thursday to Friday.
This is not the first time that both parties have attempted a symbolic truce. In April, Russia declared a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter which Ukraine denounced as being violated by Russian forces from the early hours.
It was precisely Putin who proposed the idea of a truce for Victory Day during a phone call lasting over 90 minutes with Trump on April 29. Zelenski then rejected the initiative, labeling it as "manipulation" and demanded an unconditional ceasefire of at least 30 days.
The negotiation process has longer antecedents: in March 2025, Ukraine accepted a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire and Putin accepted it the following day, but negotiations stalled due to the Russian territorial demands concerning Crimea, Donbas, Zaporizhia, and Kherson, which were deemed unacceptable by Kiev.
Trump stated that discussions aimed at ending the broader conflict remain ongoing and concluded his message with a phrase that summarizes his diplomatic commitment: "Every day we are getting closer to achieving it."
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