Ukraine And Russia Agree to Temporary Truce Following Trump Intervention

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - After months of relentless fighting and failed diplomatic breakthroughs, US President Donald Trump announced on Friday a three-day ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia, raising cautious hopes for a possible opening toward ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

Trump said the temporary truce would begin on Saturday, May 9, and continue through May 11, adding that the agreement followed direct discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“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 wrote on Truth Social.

“This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” he added.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War.”

The ceasefire announcement also included an agreement for a mutual prisoner exchange involving 1,000 detainees from each side, marking one of the largest swaps since the war began in February 2022.

Moscow confirms approval of Trump initiative

Russia later officially confirmed its approval of Trump’s proposal.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov announced that Moscow had agreed to Trump’s initiative regarding the ceasefire and the prisoner exchange with Ukraine under the “1,000 for 1,000” formula.

Ushakov told journalists that the truce would run from May 9 to May 11, adding that the initiative followed the recent conversation between Putin and Trump, while the United States also remained in contact with Kyiv during the discussions.

He further stressed that the Kremlin viewed the timing of the initiative as significant, coinciding with the 81st anniversary of Victory Day commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Zelensky confirms truce and prisoner exchange

Shortly after Trump’s statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv had received Moscow’s approval for the large-scale prisoner exchange and stressed that a ceasefire “must be established” during the three-day period.

“We received Russia's agreement to conduct a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000,” Zelensky said on Friday.

“A ceasefire regime must also be established on May 9, 10, and 11,” he added.

In a separate development, Zelensky also issued a decree ordering the Ukrainian military not to target Moscow’s Red Square during Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9.

The announcement came after another wave of escalating attacks between both sides earlier Friday, despite Russia previously declaring a unilateral two-day ceasefire tied to Victory Day commemorations.

Ukraine had rejected Moscow’s earlier proposal, accusing Putin of attempting to secure calm only to stage the annual military parade in Red Square.

Kyiv said Russia had ignored a Ukrainian proposal earlier in the week for a temporary truce, which Zelensky had framed as a test of Moscow’s seriousness regarding de-escalation.

Russia, meanwhile, warned of a massive strike on central Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted the Victory Day parade and repeatedly urged foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital beforehand.

On the streets of Kyiv before Trump’s announcement, some residents appeared unmoved by the threats.

“Nothing new will happen,” 40-year-old bank employee Vasyl Kobzar told AFP. “I'm worried, but it's become routine, unfortunately.”

A Ukrainian lawmaker, speaking anonymously, told AFP there had been no additional security measures introduced and remarked: “We’re just giving the Russians the finger.”

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 67 drones overnight, the lowest number recorded in nearly a month.

Despite the declared Russian ceasefire, Zelensky said Moscow had not reduced assault operations and that Ukrainian forces were responding accordingly.

Russia claimed it had intercepted more than 400 Ukrainian drones since midnight, including 100 targeting Moscow, and said its military was “responding symmetrically.”

In the Russian-occupied Kherson region, a Ukrainian drone strike reportedly killed a 41-year-old man and his 15-year-old daughter, according to Moscow-backed authorities.

Zelensky also praised a Ukrainian strike on an oil depot in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, approximately 200 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

Russian authorities said 13 airports in southern Russia were temporarily closed after a Ukrainian drone struck an air navigation center in Rostov-on-Don, though flights were later partially restored.

Putin convened a security council meeting following the incident and described the strike as “an act of a terrorist nature” that endangered civil aviation.

Russia’s annual Victory Day celebrations remain among the most symbolic events in Putin’s political narrative, commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany during World War II.

However, this year’s parade is expected to proceed under heightened tension and reduced military display. Military hardware will reportedly be absent for the first time in nearly two decades, while only a limited number of foreign dignitaries are expected to attend.

The ceasefire announcement arrives as international efforts to end the war continue to show limited progress, with diplomatic focus increasingly diverted by the ongoing Iran conflict.

Despite the temporary truce, the war’s devastating toll remains staggering, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides and tens of thousands of civilians — most of them in Ukraine — killed since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.