Trump announces a three-day end to the Russia-Ukraine war News of the Russian-Ukrainian war

The deal will also include the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war from each country, the US president says.

⁠United States President Donald Trump says there will be a three-day ceasefire in the war between ⁠Russia and ⁠Ukraine.

Writing on Social Truth on Friday, the US president said that the agreement will last from Saturday to Monday.

“I am happy to announce that there will be a THREE-DAY Ceasefire (May 9, 10, and 11) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump wrote.

Soon after, Ukrainian President ⁠Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Kremlin both confirmed that the three-day accord was planned as part of US efforts to negotiate an end to the four-year war.

Russia had previously announced a two-day ceasefire to take place on Saturday, May 9 during the Second World War. Ukraine has previously said that it too has offered an agreement but this has been ignored by Moscow.

“The request was made by me directly,” Trump said on Friday, thanking his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts for agreeing.

“Celebration in Russia is Victory Day but, in the same way, in Ukraine, because they were also a major part of the Second World War. This end of hostilities will include the suspension of all kinetic activities, as well as the exchange of prisons for 1,000 prisoners from each country,” said Trump.

“Discussions are ongoing” on ending the war, he added, adding that “we are getting closer every day”.

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

Civil war

Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine a central pillar of his 2024 presidential campaign, even boasting that he could end the conflict within 24 hours of returning to office.

However, almost a year and a half later, Washington has struggled to achieve success, with Russia’s Vladimir Putin showing a willingness to end what has become a war of attrition – something he seems to believe Russia will win because of its military strength.

The latest sticking point in stalled peace talks is eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, about three-quarters of which is controlled by Russia.

Moscow has asked Kyiv to withdraw its troops from areas that Russian forces have failed to capture, but Ukraine has refused, insisting that it will not hand over areas it still holds.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected the idea of ​​giving up part of Ukraine as part of any peace deal. However, Trump and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko have previously said that Ukraine will have no choice but to reach an agreement to end the four-year-old conflict.

Officials said on Thursday that the head of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, arrived in Miami for a series of meetings with US representatives as peace talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine have stalled in recent months.