Kyiv, Ukraine: A three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine began May 9, 2026, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, coinciding with Russia’s Victory Day celebrations and including a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap.
Trump told NewsNation he hopes for a “big extension” beyond the initial truce, calling it a period where “they’re not going to be killing people.”
The ceasefire followed separate unilateral pauses earlier this week, during which both sides accused each other of violations. Trump said he requested the pause directly, and both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed “readily.”
Ukraine’s president confirmed the truce on X, emphasising the prisoner return as a primary humanitarian goal: “Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners.”
Russia held its annual Red Square parade on May 9 without tanks, missiles, or armoured vehicles for the first time in nearly 20 years, citing security risks from potential Ukrainian drone strikes. The parade featured troops, flyovers, and theatrical performances instead.
The United Nations Human Rights Office noted that over 3,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees were released between May and August 2025, marking the largest exchange since the conflict began in 2022.
While the ceasefire offers a brief respite, analysts caution that the pause is fragile, as previous truces have been repeatedly broken. Trump framed the agreement as a potential “beginning of the end” of the war, but key disputes over territory and security guarantees remain unresolved.
