According to Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday, May 8 that Russia and Ukraine will implement a three-day ceasefire from May 9 to May 11, along with a large-scale prisoner-of-war exchange. This marks the latest short-term ceasefire arrangement mediated by the United States since the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war more than four years ago.
On the same day, Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social that he was “pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine.”
He said Russia is currently celebrating “Victory Day,” while Ukraine was also a major participant in World War II, making the ceasefire symbolically significant.
According to Trump’s announcement, all military operations will be suspended during the ceasefire period, and both sides will exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each.
Trump stated that the ceasefire proposal was made personally by him, and he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for agreeing to the arrangement.
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He wrote: “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War.”
Later, Zelenskyy confirmed on the X platform that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a three-day ceasefire and also confirmed the prisoner exchange. He said the arrangement is part of U.S.-led efforts to end the war.
The Russian side also confirmed the news. Yuri Ushakov, aide to the Russian president, said the agreement was reached through telephone communications with the U.S. government, which has also maintained contact with the Ukrainian side.
Ushakov revealed that Putin recently held a phone call with Trump. During the call, they noted that Russia and the United States were allies during World War II and discussed the possibility of a ceasefire during Victory Day commemorations.
Previously, Russia had already announced a unilateral two-day ceasefire during the May 9 “Victory Day” period. Ukraine, meanwhile, said it had also proposed a ceasefire earlier, but received no response from Moscow.
Ending the Russia–Ukraine war was one of Trump’s key campaign promises during the 2024 presidential election. However, peace negotiations remain stalled, with one of the main sticking points being control over the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Currently, about three-quarters of Donetsk is controlled by Russia. Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw from areas not yet fully occupied by Russian forces, but Ukraine refuses and insists it will not give up territory still under its control.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that Ukraine will not cede territory in any peace agreement. However, both Trump and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko have previously suggested that Ukraine may eventually have to confront territorial issues if it wants to reach a quick ceasefire deal.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov arrived in Miami on Thursday to hold a series of meetings with U.S. officials. As peace talks have stalled in recent months, the United States continues to seek new diplomatic breakthroughs.
