Ukraine and Russia agreed
Washington (dpa) — Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a three-day ceasefire from Saturday to Monday at the request of US President Donald Trump.
Trump announced the agreement in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, saying the ceasefire “will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country.”
“This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” he wrote.
“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War. Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day,” he added.
Zelensky confirmed the agreement and thanked Trump for his diplomatic efforts, writing on X that he had instructed his team to make all necessary preparations.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov also confirmed the ceasefire, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. He said the agreement was reached during recent telephone conversations with US leadership. “The US representatives, for their part, were in contact with Kiev,” he said.
Russia had previously declared a unilateral ceasefire from May 8 to cover celebrations marking Victory Day on Saturday, including the annual military parade in Moscow to commemorate the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Ukraine and Rusia agreed
Ukraine responded with a unilateral truce beginning May 6, but later withdrew it after it said Russia had continued with its attacks, including one of its largest drone strikes so far in the conflict.
According to Russian officials, Ukraine then launched its own drone and missile attacks on Russian territory overnight, hours after Moscow’s ceasefire came into effect.
Security has been tightened in Moscow in light of Ukrainian drone attacks, which Kiev has expanded deep into Russian territory in recent months. The Kremlin also abruptly withdrew invitations to foreign journalists for the parade on Saturday.
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Rustem Umerov, had met with US representatives on Thursday. Zelensky said the meeting focused on security guarantees and humanitarian issues such as the exchange of prisoners of war.
Zelensky said he is expecting Trump’s envoys to visit Kiev next, citing the period leading up to the start of summer as the timeframe. Discussions are currently under way, he said.
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years. The US has mediated talks between Kiev and Moscow, but negotiations have been on hold for some time, partly because Washington is distracted by the war in Iran.
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