Trump proposes a "major extension" of Russia-Ukraine truce
US President Donald Trump has announced his readiness to send US negotiators to Moscow if it will contribute to reaching a settlement to the war in Ukraine, stressing his support for extending the ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv beyond the previously announced period of May 9-11.
Speaking to reporters in front of the White House on Saturday, May 9, 2026, Trump said he was "ready to do so if he believes the move will help resolve the conflict," referring to the possibility of sending a US delegation to Moscow for talks on the Ukraine crisis.
In the same context, Trump expressed his desire for a "significant extension" of the truce between Russia and Ukraine, after Moscow announced its approval of a US initiative to call for a ceasefire during Russia's Victory Day celebrations, in conjunction with the implementation of a large-scale prisoner exchange with Kyiv in the form of an "1000 for 1000".
Trump announces temporary truce between Kyiv and Moscow
Earlier , Trump announced a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine from May 9 to May 11.
The two sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire declared separately, with Moscow and Kyiv blaming each other for violating the truce, Reuters reported.
Trump said in a post on the "Truth Social" platform that the truce will include the cessation of all military activities, in addition to the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each country.
"We hope this is the beginning of the end of a very long, bloody and difficult war," he said, noting that there was continued progress in talks to end the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed a three-day ceasefire with Russia as part of U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the more than four-year-old war.
Zelenskyy, in a post on Telegram, said that both sides will exchange 1,000 prisoners of war, with humanitarian issues remaining a key priority for Ukraine.
"For this reason, today, within the framework of the negotiation process brokered by the US side, we have received Russia's agreement to conduct a prisoner of war exchange on a 1,000-for-1,000 basis," Zelensky wrote, adding that "a ceasefire will also be announced on May 9 and 10."
For his part, Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, said that Russia approved US President Donald Trump's initiative for a ceasefire with Ukraine from May 9 to 11, and the implementation of a prisoner exchange with Kyiv during that period.
Putin and Trump discuss "Victory Day truce"
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a lengthy phone call that lasted about 90 minutes on April 29, 2026, during which they discussed the possibility of declaring a ceasefire in Ukraine to coincide with Russia's "Victory Day" celebrations on May 9, according to official statements from both sides.
During the call, Putin told his U.S. counterpart he was ready to discuss a temporary truce, while Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had "proposed a little ceasefire," expressing optimism that Moscow might respond to the initiative.
Trump called the move positive, noting that Victory Day represented a "shared victory" for the Allies over Nazism in World War II.
The call also touched on the crisis in Iran, with Putin praising Trump's decision to extend the ceasefire there, while Trump stressed the need for Moscow to focus on ending the war in Ukraine rather than getting involved in the Iranian uranium file, according to the summaries of the call issued by the two capitals.
Zelenskyy then asked the United States for clarification on the details of the discussion, reiterating that Ukraine supports a permanent ceasefire and a peace settlement backed by security guarantees.
Why is May 9 called "Victory Day" in Russia?
The name "Victory Day" (День День Победы) in Russia is a direct reference to the event that changed the course of the twentieth century: the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, or what the Russians call the "Great Patriotic War."
The choice of the name was not just a military characterization, but a national symbol that embodies the enormous sacrifices that historians have estimated at more than 27 million civilian and military deaths.
The celebration on May 9 dates back to the moment Germany signed the unconditional surrender document in Berlin at 23:01 on the evening of May 8 , 1945, and while the West recorded this date as Victory Day in Europe, it was past midnight in Moscow, and May 9, which was adopted by the Soviet leadership as the official date of the victory celebrations, was the official date of the victory celebrations.
Former Russian leader Joseph Stalin has declared the day an official holiday since 1945, but it was not until 1965 that the Soviet leadership decided to entrench the occasion in the public consciousness and honor veterans, and it later became one of the most important pillars of modern Russian identity