Trump says the U.S. proposed a three-day ceasefire and a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap tied to Russia’s Victory Day observance.
A new push for a pause in the fighting has taken shape with President Trump announcing a Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap alongside a short ceasefire spanning Victory Day in Russia.. Trump said Friday that Russia and Ukraine will exchange 1. 000 prisoners as part of a three-day ceasefire meant to coincide with Russia’s Victory Day observance this weekend.. He described the temporary halt as suspending all kinetic activity from Saturday through Monday. framing it as an
opportunity for momentum toward broader negotiations over a war now more than four years old.. The announcement landed amid a separate and slightly confusing set of dates from the two countries themselves.. Russia and Ukraine had previously announced ceasefires on different days. so the timeline of temporary pauses has been anything but uniform.. Still, both sides’ public statements in response to Trump’s proposal appeared to align with the terms he laid out.. In remarks posted
on Truth Social. Trump said he requested the temporary ceasefire and expressed appreciation to President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for agreeing to it.. He said the steps he described are “the beginning of the end” of what he characterized as a long and deadly conflict. adding that discussions to end what he called the biggest war since World War II were continuing.. Ukraine’s president, Zelenskyy, also signaled acceptance of the prisoner exchange.. In
a translated statement posted on Telegram. he said Ukraine had received Russia’s agreement to carry out a 1. 000-for-1. 000 exchange.. Zelenskyy said his country is working steadily to bring people back from Russian captivity and instructed his team to prepare the necessary steps for the exchange.. Zelenskyy added that there should be a ceasefire on May 9, 10, and 11, extending beyond the Saturday-to-Monday window Trump described.. That point suggests Ukraine’s expectations for the
broader pause may not be identical to the tight timetable Trump highlighted.. For Russia, an aide to Putin confirmed the initiative.. Yuri Ushakov. described as a senior aide to the Russian head of state. said in a statement that Putin instructed him to confirm the acceptability of the initiative proposed by Trump concerning a ceasefire alongside an exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine.. Trump’s announcement also followed a week of direct U.S..
diplomatic activity involving Ukrainian counterparts.. Top U.S.. officials met in Miami with Ukrainian representatives earlier this week. part of a broader effort to coordinate around the ceasefire and the prisoner swap.. The announcement comes after Trump also spoke with Putin by phone last week, underscoring that the U.S.. role in these steps is being presented as active, not passive.. In this context. the ceasefire proposal and the prisoner swap appear designed to create a window
for movement on humanitarian and political fronts. even as the parties’ earlier ceasefire dates were not aligned.. Beyond the immediate operational details, the proposed swap and pause carry political weight for both governments.. For Ukraine. the emphasis is on returning its people from captivity while seeking continuity in the ceasefire beyond the initial dates.. For Russia. the confirmation through senior channels signals cooperation with the U.S.-brokered framework and readiness to move forward with the exchange
described.. For Washington. the initiative positions Trump’s diplomacy as closely linked to tangible deliverables: a measurable prisoner exchange and a defined weekend pause in fighting tied to a major symbolic moment in Russia.. If the ceasefire and exchange proceed as outlined. it could provide a narrow test of whether temporary arrangements can be translated into further negotiations toward ending the conflict—an outcome both sides say remains the central goal. but one that has repeatedly been
difficult to achieve in practice.. Meanwhile, the differing ceasefire schedules that surfaced earlier this month show how fragile coordination can be during active war.. Even with public agreement on the terms Trump announced. the real-world effectiveness of the ceasefire will depend on adherence on the ground—something that will likely be closely watched over the next several days as Saturday through Monday approaches.
Trump ceasefire Russia Ukraine prisoner swap Victory Day ceasefire Zelenskyy Putin talks U.S. diplomacy Miami talks U.S.-Russia Ukraine