Trump Announces Proposed Three-Day Ceasefire Between Russia and Ukraine

By Robert Greenall

*BBC News*

US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social a proposed three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, following mutual accusations by both countries of violations during separate unilateral ceasefires declared ahead of Soviet Victory Day celebrations on 9 May.

In his post, Trump stated: "This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country." He added that he had personally requested the truce and appreciated its agreement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

However, as of 8-9 May 2026, no official statements confirming agreement to the proposed ceasefire were available on the Ukrainian or Russian government websites or state media outlets. Trump's announcement appeared unilaterally on his Truth Social platform without linked confirming statements from Putin or Zelenskyy.

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy later posted on Telegram confirming Ukraine's participation in response to Trump's proposal, according to the original article's reporting, though independent verification was not immediately available. Russian state media similarly reported Russia's agreement, per the article.

Earlier, Putin had declared a ceasefire for 8-9 May ahead of Victory Day in Moscow. Ukraine had proposed an indefinite truce starting 6 May, which Russia did not accept, according to Ukrainian statements.

Russia warned Ukraine against attacking the Victory Day parade in Red Square. Its defence ministry threatened a "retaliatory, massive missile strike" on central Kyiv if Moscow were targeted and advised foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital before 9 May.

Moscow and St Petersburg residents were informed of expected limits on mobile internet access for security reasons during the holiday. Reuters reported that Russians had been told to anticipate internet outages.

The Victory Day event, commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, typically drew large numbers of foreign guests to Moscow. This year, only leaders from Belarus, Malaysia, and Laos, along with a few dignitaries, were attending. Getty Images showed that the parade would feature soldiers but no military hardware.

On Friday, both sides reported ceasefire violations by the other. Russia's defence ministry stated that Ukraine struck positions and civilian targets in the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod, near the conflict area. Russian forces responded with a "mirror response," the ministry said.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that about 20 drones were downed near the city in the first two hours of the initial ceasefire period. Ukrainian strikes were also reported on industrial sites in the Perm and Yaroslavl regions, as well as in the Rostov region and the Chechen capital Grozny. Thirteen airports in southern Russia suspended operations following a drone attack.

Zelenskyy posted on Telegram that Russian forces conducted more than 140 attacks on Ukrainian positions and over 850 drone strikes in the initial hours of the truce. He stated Ukraine would respond accordingly. Reuters noted Ukraine's view that Russia had ignored its earlier ceasefire proposal starting 6 May.

The ceasefire exchanges followed comments by European Council President António Costa in a Financial Times interview on Thursday. Costa said there was "potential" for the EU to negotiate with Russia on ending the war and indicated he believed it had Zelenskyy's backing. He added: "I'm talking with the [EU's] 27 national leaders to see the best way to organise ourselves and to identify what we need effectively to discuss with Russia when it comes to the right moment to do this." Costa noted: "We cannot change the geography. We are in Europe, we are neighbours of Russia, and of course we need to talk with them about the future of the security architecture of Europe."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that Russia was open to dialogue but would not initiate contacts.

The US has facilitated several rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks without achieving a breakthrough. Concerns exist that Washington is preoccupied with the Middle East conflict. On a visit to Italy on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US remained willing to mediate but did not wish to expend effort without progress.

Zelenskyy stated he anticipated US envoys visiting Kyiv in coming weeks.

Separately, Ukrainian emergency services were combating a large wildfire in the Chornobyl exclusion zone, in the Kyiv region. The area, site of the 1986 nuclear disaster (known in Russian as Chernobyl), remains highly contaminated, though authorities reported radiation levels in the fire area as normal. Strong winds, dry conditions, and landmines from the conflict were hindering containment efforts. Firefighters estimated the blaze covered 11 square km (4.2 square miles) and was spreading rapidly. Ukrainian emergency services imagery showed personnel fighting the fire near the zone.

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