US President Donald Trump announced Friday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a temporary ceasefire and a large prisoner exchange, marking what he described as a potential step toward ending the ongoing war.
“I am pleased to announce that there will be a three day ceasefire (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said on Truth Social.
The ceasefire, according to Trump, will include “a suspension of all kinetic activity” and a reciprocal exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side.
“This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by (Russian) President Vladimir Putin and (Ukrainian) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“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.
The remarks came after special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had a meeting with Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov in Miami, where they discussed the need to intensify the diplomatic process and coordinate further steps toward achieving a peace.
The meeting came amid a slowdown in negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, as the Russia-Ukraine war has received less international attention in recent months following the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Russia and Ukraine have traded accusations over alleged violations of a two-day ceasefire declared by Moscow to coincide with Russia’s May 9 Victory Day commemorations.
