Trump says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a 3-day ceasefire and a prisoner swap
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that leaders Russia and Ukraine They accepted the request for a three-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange, adding that such a cessation of hostilities could be “the beginning of the end” of the long war between them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the agreement. There has been no immediate comment from Russian President Vladimir Putin or the Kremlin.
Trump announced on social media that the ceasefire would last from Saturday to Monday. Saturday Victory Day in RussiaA holiday commemorating the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE-DAY (May 9, 10 and 11) ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said. “The celebration in Russia is for Victory Day, but it is celebrated in the same way in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of the Second World War.”
The Republican president said the ceasefire includes the suspension of all kinetic activities and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each country.
Russia had declared a ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, but it quickly dissolved; each side blamed the other for the ongoing conflict; just as it did when Ukraine’s own unilateral ceasefire quickly collapsed earlier in the week.
Trump said he conveyed his request for a ceasefire “directly” to the two presidents. “I hope this will be the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly and difficult war,” he said.
Trump added that talks to end the war, which started in February 2022, are continuing and “we are getting closer every day.” Trump has gone back and forth on whether the war will end, at times expressing optimism and at other times saying Russia and Ukraine should be left to fight on this issue to the bitter end.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s decision on how to participate in these discussions was shaped in part by the possibility of prisoners being released. Ukraine has made the return of prisoners of war a central demand throughout the conflict.
“Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war who could be brought home,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Red Square is where the traditional military parade is held to celebrate Victory Day, one of Russia’s biggest holidays of the year.
After issuing his statement, Zelenskyy issued an official presidential decree authorizing Russia to hold the parade and declared Red Square closed to Ukrainian attacks for the duration of the event. The framework of the decree appears designed to highlight Kiev’s claim to have effective targeting access over the Russian capital, while clearly tying Ukraine’s restrictions to ceasefire terms.
Zelenskyy said the deal was reached through a U.S.-brokered process and thanked Trump and the American team for what he called effective diplomatic engagement. He said Ukraine expects Washington to force Russia to comply with the terms of the deal.
“We trust the United States to ensure that Russia fulfills its commitments,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said he instructed his team to prepare everything necessary for the exchange without delay.
Trump’s announcement came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a much more somber tone about negotiations to stop Russia’s four-year war in Ukraine, saying U.S. mediation efforts had so far failed to lead to a “productive outcome.”
“While we stand ready to play whatever role we can to reach a peaceful diplomatic solution, unfortunately those efforts have now stalled,” Rubio told reporters at the end of his visit to Rome and the Vatican. However, if these conditions change, we are always ready.”
—-
Associated Press writers Hanna Arhirova in Kiev and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.
