US President Donald Trump, on Friday (May 8, 2026), announced that there would be a three-day ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war beginning Saturday (May 9).
“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 posted on Truth Social.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy soon confirmed on X that a three-day truce had been arranged as part of US efforts to negotiate an end to the more than four-year-old war.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov later said, “An agreement on this matter was reached during our telephone contacts with the US administration. In turn, US representatives were in contact with Kyiv.”
Ushakov said the agreement followed a recent telephone conversation between President Vladimir Putin and Trump, in which the two presidents “emphasised that our countries were allies during World War II and also discussed the possibility of a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations.”
Russia had previously announced a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark its World War II Victory Day on Saturday (May 9). Ukraine previously stated that it too had offered a truce but that this had been ignored by Moscow.
“This request was made directly by me,” Trump said, thanking his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts for agreeing to it. “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,” Trump said.
“This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country,” he added. Zelenskyy also confirmed the prisoner swap would take place.
“Talks are continuing” on ending the war, Trump said. “We are getting closer and closer every day. Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War,” he added.
Ending the Russia-Ukraine war that began in 2022 was Trump’s central pitch for his 2024 presidential campaign. He had boasted then that he could end the conflict within 24 hours of returning to office.
However, nearly a year and a half later, Trump was still struggling to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiation table to end the war. Putin was unwilling to end the war of attrition with Ukraine, believing that Moscow would ultimately win because of the sheer size of the Russian forces.
The problem statement in the stalled peace talks is over territory, particularly Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, three-quarters of which is under Russian control.
Russia has asked Ukraine to withdraw troops from the Donetsk region. But Ukraine has refused to give up its territory that is under its control. Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected the idea of surrendering Ukrainian territory to achieve peace with Russia.