Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for 3-day ceasefire and prisoner swap

US President Donald Trump has said that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a threeday 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 themUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Yuri Ushakov Russian President Vladimir Putins foreign affairs adviser both confirmed the agreementI asked and President Putin agreed President Zelenskyy agreed both readily Trump said on Friday as he departed the White House to attend a dinner at his Virginia golf club And we have a little period of time where theyre not going to be killing people Thats 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 III 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 IIThe Republican president said the ceasefire includes a suspension of all kinetic activity and the exchange of 1000 prisoners by each countryRussia had announced a ceasefire for Friday and Saturday but it quickly unravelled with both sides blaming the other for the continued fighting just as they had when Ukraines own unilateral ceasefire had swiftly collapsed earlier in the weekTrump 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 saidTrump 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 endZelenskyy said Ukraines 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 conflictRed 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 yearAfter releasing his statement Zelenskyy issued a formal presidential decree authorising Russia to hold the parade declaring Red Square offlimits for Ukrainian strikes for the duration of the event The framing of the decree appeared designed to underscore Kyivs claim that it holds effective targeting reach over the Russian capital while publicly tying Ukrainian restraint to the ceasefire termsKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later shrugged off Zelenskyys decree as a silly joke We dont need anyones permission to be proud of our Victory Day Peskov told reportersZelenskyy said the deal for a ceasefire was reached through a USmediated 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 agreementWe 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 delayTrumps announcement came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a much more somber tone about negotiations to halt Russias 4yearold war in Ukraine saying US mediation efforts have not led to a fruitful outcome so farWhile were 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