US President Donald Trump announces 3-day ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war

Washington (Web Desk): United States (US) President Donald Trump said on Friday that both Russia and Ukraine have accepted his proposal for a brief three-day halt in fighting along with a large prisoner exchange, describing the development as a potential turning point that could mark “the beginning of the end” of the war.

The US president said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov both confirmed their acceptance of the arrangement.

Speaking while leaving the White House for a dinner engagement in Virginia, the US president said that he had personally conveyed the request to both sides.

He added that both leaders had responded positively and quickly, noting that the temporary pause would provide a short window in which “they’re not going to be killing people,” calling it a welcome development.

Earlier the same day, Trump had posted on social media that the ceasefire would begin on Saturday and continue through Monday, aligning with Russia’s Victory Day commemorations on May 9, which mark the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

He said the truce would suspend all military operations and include an agreement for each side to release 1,000 prisoners.

The US president said also pointed out that Ukraine, like Russia, played a significant role during the Second World War.
Previous attempts at limited ceasefires had failed in similar fashion, with Russia and Ukraine each accusing the other of breaking commitments, including a short-lived unilateral truce declared earlier by Kyiv.

Trump said he had directly engaged both leaders in pushing for the arrangement and expressed hope that it could open the door to a broader peace process.

He described ongoing diplomatic efforts as continuing and said there was gradual movement toward resolution, although his public stance has fluctuated between optimism and doubt about the war’s outcome.

From Kyiv, President Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s approach to negotiations was heavily influenced by the chance to secure the return of captured soldiers, which remains a top priority for his government.

In a message shared on Telegram, he emphasized that the wellbeing of Ukrainian prisoners mattered more than symbolic military events, stating that “Red Square matters less to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war who can be brought home.”

He also issued a formal order allowing Russia to proceed with its Victory Day celebrations without risk of Ukrainian strikes during the ceasefire window.

The move was widely interpreted as symbolic, reflecting Ukraine’s claimed ability to reach targets deep inside Russian territory while linking restraint to the temporary agreement.

The Kremlin reacted sharply, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissing Zelenskyy’s decision as meaningless and describing it as a “silly joke,” while insisting that Russia did not require approval from anyone to hold its national commemorations.

Zelenskyy further stated that the ceasefire understanding had been facilitated through United States mediation and expressed appreciation for Washington’s diplomatic involvement.

He said Ukraine expected the United States to ensure that Russia adhered to the agreed terms and confirmed that preparations were already underway for the prisoner swap.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a more cautious assessment of the peace efforts, saying that negotiations aimed at ending the conflict had so far failed to achieve meaningful progress.

Speaking in Rome after diplomatic engagements, he noted that US-led efforts had largely stalled, although he added that Washington remained willing to continue involvement if conditions changed.