Ukraine, Russia Pause Fighting, Exchange Prisoners to Celebrate WWII Victory

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a three-day ceasefire and a major prisoner exchange, calling the deal a possible “beginning of the end” of the war.

Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky both accepted his request for a halt in fighting from Saturday through Monday, May 9-11. The ceasefire coincides with Russia’s Victory Day commemorations, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

“I asked and, President Putin agreed. President Zelensky agreed, both readily,” Trump said as he left the White House. “And we have a little period of time where they’re not going to be killing people. That’s very good.”

Trump said the agreement includes a suspension of all kinetic activity and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners by each side. Zelensky and Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, both confirmed the agreement.

The announcement followed earlier ceasefire attempts that collapsed quickly, with both Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of continued attacks. Russia had announced its own ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, while Ukraine’s unilateral ceasefire earlier in the week also failed to hold.

Trump said he made the request directly to both leaders and expressed hope that the pause could lead to broader negotiations. “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought war,” he wrote on social media.

Zelensky said Ukraine’s participation in the ceasefire was shaped in part by the chance to bring prisoners of war home. Ukraine has made the return of captured soldiers and civilians one of its central demands throughout the war.

“Red Square matters less to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war who can be brought home,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

After announcing the agreement, Zelensky issued a presidential decree authorizing Russia to hold its Victory Day parade and declaring Red Square off-limits for Ukrainian strikes during the event. The move appeared intended to signal that Ukraine has the ability to reach Moscow while publicly tying its restraint to the ceasefire.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the decree as a “silly joke,” saying Russia did not need permission to celebrate Victory Day.

Zelensky thanked Trump and the US negotiating team, saying Ukraine expects Washington to ensure that Russia follows the terms of the deal.

The announcement came shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US mediation efforts had so far failed to produce a “fruitful outcome.” Rubio said Washington remained prepared to help bring the war to a diplomatic resolution, but warned that talks had stagnated.