Trump Brokers 3-day Ceasefire Between Russia, Ukraine

The United States has brokered a three-day ceasefire and a prisoner swap between Moscow and Kiev, President Donald Trump said.

In a Truth Social post, Trump announced a three-day truce between Russia and Ukraine, and expressed hope that this will be the“beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought war.”

The US president said that apart from the ceasefire, which would be in place for May 9-11, the warring nations have also agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) each.

Trump announced that he himself made the request for a ceasefire, adding, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky agreed to the truce.

“The Celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II,“ the US President wrote in the Truth Social post.

Russia celebrates May 9 as Victory Day, and commemorates it with a massive military parade to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, NPR reported.

Moscow has scaled down this year’s parade due to the Ukraine conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Trump for facilitating the truce, Politico reported.

He expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin will ensure that the ceasefire holds.

Putin’s top aide and foreign affairs adviser Yury Ushakov has confirmed the ceasefire between the two nations, stating that Moscow agreed to extend the truce, initially announced for May 8-9, as well as the prisoner swap, as requested by Trump, RT.com reported.

In the past Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of violating ceasefire agreements.

Ukraine had announced a ceasefire on Tuesday, but later charged that Russia had unleashed air and ground attacks that day itself.

Russia has also alleged that it intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones across the country after an initial two-day ceasefire was announced by Moscow began.

Russia’s defense ministry has repeatedly warned that any attempt by Ukraine to disrupt the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow would be met with large-scale retaliatory strike on Kiev.

Reports indicated that fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian troops had been subdued following the truce announcement

To a query on whether the US would send a team to Moscow again to negotiate a permanent truce, Trump said, “I would do it if I thought it would help. I would do it.”

Talks are continuing on “ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day,” the US president said.

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

Trump later told NewsNation that he hoped the temporary truce would be extended beyond the initially announced three-day period. “I’d like to see a big extension,” he said when asked whether he planned further talks with Putin and Zelensky about continuing the ceasefire.

When asked by a reporter at the White House whether he would send his negotiating team to Moscow again, Trump replied: “I would do it if I thought it would help. I would do it.”

Ukraine had recently sent its top negotiator to the US for talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the Politico reported.