Russia and Ukraine agree to Trump’s truce
Russia and Ukraine agree to Trump’s truce
2026-05-09
Shafaq News – Moscow/Kyiv
Russia and Ukraine announced on Friday that they had agreed to US President Donald Trump’s initiative for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between the two sides.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Russia had agreed to Trump’s initiative for a ceasefire from May 9 to 11 and a prisoner exchange with Kyiv on a “one thousand for one thousand” basis.
Ushakov added: “This initiative comes in the wake of the recent conversation between Putin and Trump. The United States was in contact with Kyiv during the conversation.”
He continued: “The Kremlin stressed the importance of this initiative coinciding with the 81st anniversary of Victory Day over Nazism.”
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that he had ordered the Ukrainian army not to target Red Square in Russia during the May 9th “Victory Day” parade.
Zelensky said in a statement via his X account, “These days, we have received many inquiries and signals regarding tomorrow’s arrangements in Moscow, in connection with the imposition of our far-reaching Ukrainian sanctions.”
He explained: “The principle of equality in our actions is well known and has been proven to the Russian side. Ukraine’s additional argument in determining our position is always to resolve one of the main humanitarian issues in this war, which is precisely – the release of military prisoners.”
He noted that “Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home. For this very reason, today, within the framework of the negotiations mediated by the American side, we obtained Russia’s agreement to conduct an exchange of military prisoners on a 1,000-for-1,000 basis.”
The statement emphasized: “A ceasefire must also be imposed on the 9th, 10th and 11th of May. Ukraine is working continuously to bring its people back from Russian captivity.”
He continued: “I have instructed our team to prepare everything necessary for the exchange immediately. Thank you to the US President and his team for their effective diplomatic engagement. We rely on the United States to ensure the implementation of the agreements by the Russian side.”
Earlier today, US President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, to last three days starting Saturday.
Trump explained in a post on the Truth Social platform that “the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine will include a suspension of combat operations, in addition to the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each country.”
He added that “talks are continuing in order to end this conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which is the largest since World War II.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced yesterday, Thursday, that all Russian military formations in the area of the special military operation will completely cease combat operations during the period from May 8 to 10.
The Russian Defense Ministry renewed its warning that it would launch an “intense missile strike on the center of Kyiv” if the Ukrainian leadership tried to disrupt the “Victory Day” celebrations in Moscow scheduled for May 9.
Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky warned officials in Russia’s allied countries against attending the “Victory Day” parade in Moscow, threatening to target the Russian capital with drones during the celebrations.
The Russian-Ukrainian war began in February 2014, when Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula and supported separatists in the Donbas region. The war escalated into an invasion on February 24, 2012, when Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine.
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