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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left), US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin [File: AP Photo] |
United States President Donald Trump announced a temporary three-day ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, saying both sides have agreed to pause fighting from May 9 to May 11.
According to Trump, the truce will include a major prisoner exchange involving 1,000 prisoners of war from each country, marking one of the largest swaps since the conflict began.
Trump made the announcement Friday through his Truth Social account, describing the move as a possible turning point toward ending the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier declared a unilateral ceasefire for Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously claimed Kyiv’s own truce proposals had been ignored by Moscow.
Trump said the ceasefire request was made directly by him and thanked both Putin and Zelenskyy for accepting the proposal.
The US president added that negotiations are still ongoing and expressed hope the temporary truce could become “the beginning of the end” of the deadly conflict that has continued for years.