Photo: Alamy
Amid the war with Iran, President Donald Trump made a surprising announcement about another war overseas: the fight between Russia and Ukraine.
In a statement posted to Truth Social on Friday, the president said that there will be a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, beginning May 9 and ending May 11.
“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 president wrote.
He continued, “This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country. This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”
Could this be the beginning of the end of what has been a multi-year war between the two countries?
President Zelensky said in a statement that this had been a long time coming, suggesting that “there have been many appeals and signals regarding the setup for tomorrow in Moscow in connection with our Ukrainian long-range sanctions.”
He confirmed that a prisoner exchange – 1,000 Ukrainians for 1,000 Russians – will take place.
“Ukraine is consistently working to bring its people home from Russian captivity,” Zelensky stated. “I have instructed our team to promptly prepare everything necessary for the exchange.”
President Trump noted on Friday that he hoped it would be the “beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War.”
Just prior to the president’s announced regarding the ceasefire, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the press about the United States’ role in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“We tried to play a mediator role in that, so far it has not led to a fruitful outcome for a variety of reasons; we remain prepared to play that role if it can be productive, we don’t want to waste our time…” he noted. “But if we see an opportunity to act as a mediator that brings both sides closer to a peace deal, we’d like to see it.”
