Trump Brokers Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire and Prisoner Exchange
Donald Trump mediated a three-day ceasefire and a 1,000-person prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine to coincide with Moscow's scaled-back Victory Day parade.
U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a three-day ceasefire and a reciprocal exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine from May 9 to May 11, 2026. The truce was timed to coincide with Russia's 81st anniversary of Victory Day. To facilitate the agreement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree designating Moscow's Red Square as a no-strike zone during the parade, though he framed the move as a humanitarian gesture to secure the prisoner swap.
Amidst the truce, Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw a markedly scaled-down Victory Day parade on May 9. For the first time in nearly two decades, the event omitted heavy military hardware, such as tanks and missiles, citing the "current operational situation" and threats from Ukrainian long-range drone strikes. To ensure security, Russian authorities implemented mobile internet and SMS restrictions across Moscow. During the ceremony, Putin characterized the conflict as a "just cause" against forces supported by NATO and claimed the war is "coming to an end."
Despite the agreement, both nations traded accusations of ceasefire violations. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed nearly 9,000 violations by Ukraine, while the Ukrainian General Staff reported continued Russian drone and artillery strikes in the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Following the event, Putin expressed openness to meeting Zelenskyy in a third country once a final peace treaty is finalized. Meanwhile, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to visit Moscow to resume mediation efforts, though Russia maintains that Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donbas region is a prerequisite for formal peace talks.
