Trump says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a 3-day
ceasefire and a prisoner swap
[May 09, 2026]
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that the leaders of
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire
and an exchange of prisoners, adding that such a halt to hostilities
could be the “beginning of the end” of the long war between them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Yuri Ushakov, Russian
President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser, both confirmed the
agreement.
“I asked and, President Putin agreed. President Zelenskyy agreed -- both
readily," Trump said as he departed the White House to attend a dinner
at his Virginia golf club. " And we have a little period of time where
they’re not going to be killing people. That’s very good ”
Trump earlier Friday had announced on social media that the ceasefire
would run Saturday through Monday. Saturday is Victory Day in Russia, a
holiday that commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
“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
wrote. “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.”
The Republican president said the ceasefire includes a suspension of all
kinetic activity and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners by each country.
Russia had announced a ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, but it quickly
unraveled, with both sides blaming the other for the continued fighting,
just as they had when Ukraine’s own unilateral ceasefire had swiftly
collapsed earlier in the week.
Trump said he made his request for the ceasefire “directly” to the two
presidents. “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long,
deadly, and hard fought War," he said.
Trump added that talks continue over ending the war that began in
February 2022 “and we are getting closer and closer every day.” Trump
has gone back and forth over whether the war will end, at times
expressing optimism and at other times saying Russia and Ukraine should
be left to fight it out to the bitter end.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s decision on how to engage with those
discussions was shaped in part by the prospect of freeing its prisoners.
Ukraine has made the return of prisoners of war a central demand
throughout the conflict.
“Red Square matters less to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of
war who can be brought home,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Red Square is
where Russia holds its traditional military parade to celebrate Victory
Day, one of the biggest holidays of the year.
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Ukrainian army officers lay flowers at a monument to pilots to mark
Victory Day in World War II, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 8, 2026,
as the Russian attack on Ukraine continues. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
After releasing his statement, Zelenskyy issued a formal
presidential decree “authorizing” Russia to hold the parade,
declaring Red Square off-limits for Ukrainian strikes for the
duration of the event. The framing of the decree appeared designed
to underscore Kyiv’s claim that it holds effective targeting reach
over the Russian capital, while publicly tying Ukrainian restraint
to the ceasefire terms.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later shrugged off Zelenskyy’s
decree as a “silly joke.”
“We don’t need anyone’s permission to be proud of our Victory Day,”
Peskov told reporters.
Zelenskyy said the deal for a ceasefire was reached through a
U.S.-mediated process and thanked Trump and the American team for
what he called effective diplomatic engagement. He said Ukraine
expected Washington to hold Russia to the terms of the agreement.
“We are counting on the United States to ensure that Russia fulfills
its commitments,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said he had instructed his team to prepare everything
necessary for the exchange without delay.
Trump's announcement came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio
struck a much more somber tone about negotiations to halt Russia’s
4-year-old war in Ukraine, saying U.S. mediation efforts have not
led to a “fruitful outcome” so far.
“While we’re prepared to play whatever role we can to bring it to a
peaceful diplomatic resolution, unfortunately right now, those
efforts have stagnated,” Rubio told reporters at the end of a visit
to Rome and the Vatican. “But we always stand ready if those
circumstances change.”
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Associated Press writers Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv and Giada Zampano in
Rome contributed to this report.
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