United States President Donald Trump says there will be a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Posting on Truth Social on Friday, the US leader said the truce would last from Saturday to Monday.
“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump posted.
Soon after, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on X that a three-day truce had been arranged as part of US efforts to negotiate an end to the more than four-year-old war.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov later said “an agreement on this matter was reached during our telephone contacts with the US administration. In turn, US representatives were in contact with Kyiv.” He said the agreement followed a recent telephone conversation between President Vladimir Putin and Trump, in which the two presidents “emphasised that our countries were allies during World War II and also discussed the possibility of a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations.”
Russia had previously announced a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark its May 9 World War II Victory Day on Saturday. Ukraine previously stated that it too had offered a truce but that this had been ignored by Moscow.
“This request was made directly by me,” Trump said on Friday, thanking his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts for agreeing to it.
“The Celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II. This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country,” Trump said. Zelenskyy also confirmed the prisoner swap would take place.
“Talks are continuing” on ending the war, Trump added, saying that “we are getting closer and closer every day”.
“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War.”
War of attrition
Trump made ending the war in Ukraine a central pillar of his 2024 presidential campaign, even boasting that he could end the conflict within 24 hours of returning to office.
However, nearly a year and a half later, Washington has struggled to achieve a breakthrough, with Putin showing little willingness to end what has become a war of attrition – one he appears to believe Russia will ultimately win because of the sheer size of its military.
The latest sticking point in the stalled peace talks is Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, around three-quarters of which is controlled by Russia.
Moscow has demanded that Kyiv withdraw its troops from parts of the region that Russian forces have failed to capture, but Ukraine has refused, insisting it will not cede territory still under its control.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected the idea of surrendering Ukrainian territory as part of any peace agreement. However, Trump and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko have previously suggested that Ukraine may ultimately have little choice if it hopes to secure a deal to end the more than four-year war.
Officials said on Thursday that Ukraine’s top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, had arrived in Miami for a series of meetings with US representatives as peace talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine have stalled in recent months.–Al Jazeera
