Former President Donald Trump has declared a three-day ceasefire and a prisoner exchange in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He made the announcement on Truth Social, stating that the ceasefire would occur on May 9, 10, and 11, coinciding with the Victory Day celebrations in Russia and a commemorative occasion in Ukraine known as the “Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II,” which is observed on May 8.
Trump’s post read, “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. The celebrations in Russia are for Victory Day, but it’s the same in Ukraine, because Russia played a significant role in World War II. The ceasefire will include a halt in all military movements and a swap of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side.”
He further expressed gratitude for the agreement reached by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, noting, “Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of what has been a very long, deadly, and hard-fought war.”
“Retaliatory attack”
In contrast, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy contended that Russia disregarded his appeal for a complete ceasefire and escalated military actions instead. He stated that new attacks continued against various regions of Ukraine, including Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Dnipro.
Following this, the Russian Ministry of Defense asserted in a press release that Ukrainian forces had breached the ceasefire on May 8. They reported that despite the announced truce, Ukrainian armed groups maintained drone and artillery strikes on Russian military and civilian targets in border regions.
The Russian Defense Ministry indicated there had been a record of 1,365 ceasefire violations during the so-called “Special Military Operations Area.” Prior to this, Russia claimed to have executed “retaliatory strikes” against Ukrainian positions.
The loss figures from the conflict are heavily debated, with both sides reluctant to disclose their official casualty counts. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense stated that it had taken out over 1.3 million Russian military personnel, while the Russian Ministry earlier claimed to have expelled over 1 million Ukrainian troops, a number which is now considered outdated.
Both Victory Day and the memorial for victories in World War II hold significant sentiment for Russia and Ukraine, given the shared, tragic history involving millions of casualties from the war. Trump’s comments on Truth Social emphasized hopes for continued dialogues aimed at resolving this extensive conflict, termed “the largest since World War II.”
