Russia confirms three-day ceasefire, prisoner swap with Ukraine announced by Trump

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov on Friday confirmed a three-day ceasefire and prisoner swap between Moscow and Kyiv announced by US President Donald Trump. Ushakov confirmed the initiative's "acceptability" for Moscow on behalf of President Vladimir Putin. "An agreement on this matter was reached during our telephone contacts with the US administration. In turn, US representatives were in contact with Kyiv," Ushakov said.

Putin-Trump call

He said the agreement follows a recent telephone conversation between Putin and Trump, in which the two presidents "emphasized that our countries were allies during World War II and also discussed the possibility of a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations."

Trump's announcement

Earlier, Trump said on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine agreed to the ceasefire and a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, expressing appreciation for its agreement by both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War. Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day," Trump added.

Zelenskyy's confirmation

Zelenskyy also confirmed the truce and prisoner swap, thanking Trump and his team for their "productive diplomatic involvement." The ceasefire comes as the Russia-Ukraine war continues into its fourth year.