1 month ago
4
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday (May 8, 2026) that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine person agreed to his petition for a three-day ceasefire and an speech of prisoners, adding that specified a halt to hostilities could beryllium the “beginning of the end” of the agelong warfare betwixt them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the agreement.
Mr. Trump announced connected societal media that the ceasefire would tally Saturday (May 9, 2026) done Monday (May 11, 2026). Saturday (May 9, 2026) is Victory Day successful Russia, a vacation that commemorates triumph implicit Nazi Germany successful World War II.
“I americium pleased to denote that determination volition beryllium a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) successful the War betwixt Russia and Ukraine,” Mr. Trump wrote. “The Celebration successful Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, successful Ukraine, due to the fact that they were besides a large portion and origin of World War II.”
The Republican president said the ceasefire includes a suspension of each kinetic enactment and the speech of 1,000 prisoners by each country.
Russia had announced a ceasefire for Friday (May 8, 2026) and Saturday (May 9, 2026), but it rapidly unravelled, with some sides blaming the different for the continued fighting, conscionable arsenic they had erstwhile Ukraine’s ain unilateral ceasefire had swiftly collapsed earlier successful the week.
Mr. Trump said helium made his petition for the ceasefire “directly” to the 2 presidents. “Hopefully, it is the opening of the extremity of a precise long, deadly, and hard fought War,” helium said.
Mr. Trump added that talks proceed implicit ending the warfare that began successful February 2022 “and we are getting person and person each day.” Mr. Trump has gone backmost and distant implicit whether the warfare volition end, astatine times expressing optimism and astatine different times saying Russia and Ukraine should beryllium near to combat it retired to the bitter end.
Mr. Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s determination connected however to prosecute with those discussions was shaped successful portion by the imaginable of freeing its prisoners. Ukraine has made the instrumentality of prisoners of warfare a cardinal request passim the conflict.
“Red Square matters little to america than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of warfare who tin beryllium brought home,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote connected Telegram. Red Square is wherever Russia holds its accepted subject parade to observe Victory Day, 1 of the biggest holidays of the year.
After releasing his statement, Mr. Zelenskyy issued a ceremonial statesmanlike decree “authorising” Russia to clasp the parade, declaring Red Square off-limits for Ukrainian strikes for the duration of the event. The framing of the decree appeared designed to underscore Kyiv’s assertion that it holds effectual targeting scope implicit the Russian capital, portion publically tying Ukrainian restraint to the ceasefire terms.
Mr. Zelenskyy said the woody was reached done a U.S.-mediated process and thanked Mr. Trump and the American squad for what helium called effectual diplomatic engagement. He said Ukraine expected Washington to clasp Russia to the presumption of the agreement.
“We are counting connected the United States to guarantee that Russia fulfills its commitments,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
Mr. Zelenskyy said helium had instructed his squad to hole everything indispensable for the speech without delay.
Mr. Trump’s announcement came hours aft Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a overmuch much sombre code astir negotiations to halt Russia’s four-year-old warfare successful Ukraine, saying U.S. mediation efforts person not led to a “fruitful outcome” truthful far.
“While we’re prepared to play immoderate relation we tin to bring it to a peaceful diplomatic resolution, unluckily close now, those efforts person stagnated,” Mr. Rubio told reporters astatine the extremity of a sojourn to Rome and the Vatican. “But we ever basal acceptable if those circumstances change.”
Kremlin agrees to truce
Russia has agreed to Mr. Trump’s initiative for the ceasefire and the captive swap, Kremlin adjutant Yuri Ushakov said on Friday (May 8, 2026).
“I corroborate the acceptability for the Russian broadside of the inaugural conscionable projected by US President Donald Trump, concerning a ceasefire for a prisoner-of-war speech betwixt Russia and Ukraine,” the Kremlin’s overseas argumentation advisor Mr. Ushakov told journalists.
