A three-day ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday defused the tensions over a prospective Ukrainian attack on a Red Square parade in Moscow, but the deal appeared unlikely to set the stage for a comprehensive peace deal.<\/p>\n
Even as unilateral ceasefires declared by Ukraine and Russia earlier this week failed to hold, with both parties blaming each other, Trump said Friday that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine<\/a> agreed to his request for a ceasefire running Saturday through Monday and an exchange of prisoners. Trump added that the break in fighting could be the \u201cbeginning of the end\u201d of the war that has dragged into a fifth year.<\/p>\n Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Russia has accepted Trump\u2019s initiative for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war on each side.<\/p>\n Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine\u2019s consent to the U.S.-brokered agreement was driven by the prospect of freeing its prisoners. At the same time, he issued a decree mockingly allowing Russia to hold its Victory Day celebrations on Saturday, declaring Red Square temporarily off-limits for Ukrainian strikes. <\/p>\n \u201cRed Square matters less to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war who can be brought home,\u201d Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.<\/p>\n Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shrugged off Zelenskyy\u2019s decree \u201cauthorizing\u201d the Red Square parade as a \u201csilly joke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need anyone\u2019s permission to be proud of our Victory Day,\u201d Peskov told reporters.<\/p>\n Earlier, a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine<\/a> that Russia announced for Friday and Saturday quickly unraveled. Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for the continued fighting, just as they did when Ukraine\u2019s own unilateral ceasefire swiftly collapsed earlier in the week.<\/p>\n The accusations reflect the deep-seated lack of trust between the two sides more than four years after Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. That has thwarted U.S.-led diplomatic efforts<\/a> to find a peace settlement.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s new drone and missile technology<\/a> has helped it hit deep inside Russia frequently and accurately in recent months, especially major oil facilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, rumblings of unhappiness<\/a> with some of the Kremlin\u2019s wartime policies have put the spotlight on Putin, who is due to make a speech on Saturday to mark Victory Day, commemorating victory over Nazi Germany 81 years ago.<\/p>\n The Russia-Ukraine war rages unabated<\/p>\n The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Friday that its forces in Ukraine \u201ccompletely ceased combat operations and remained at their previously occupied lines and positions\u201d from midnight, when Putin\u2019s unilateral ceasefire came into force.<\/p>\n But it accused Ukrainian forces of continuing to strike Russian positions as well as civilian infrastructure in border areas of the Belgorod and Kursk regions.<\/p>\n Air defenses shot down 390 Ukrainian drones and six Neptune long-range guided missiles aimed at Russia after midnight, according to the ministry.<\/p>\n A Ukrainian drone strike hit the administrative building of the Southern Russia Air Navigation branch in Rostov-on-Don, forcing 13 airports in the south of the country to suspend operations, Russia\u2019s Transport Ministry said. Flights resumed Friday afternoon, but officials said it would take up to three days to fully restore air travel in the area.<\/p>\n Speaking during a meeting of Russia\u2019s Security Council, Putin called the strike a \u201cterrorist\u201d attack and hailed traffic controllers for helping to avoid tragic consequences.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy had a different story. Russian forces continued attacking on the front line overnight, he said, while Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 56 Russian drones.<\/p>\n \u201cAll this clearly shows that there was not even a pretense of a ceasefire attempt from the Russian side,\u201d Zelenskyy said.<\/p>\n Ukraine also claimed Friday more long-range strikes<\/a> on Russian oil facilities. Zelenskyy said one hit the Yaroslavl region, more than 700 kilometers (430 miles) from the border, although he didn\u2019t specify when the attack happened. Ukraine\u2019s Security Service said a separate strike hit a major Russian oil refinery and pipeline pumping station in the Perm region, more than 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away.<\/p>\n Difficulties mount for Putin <\/p>\n Putin, who has ruled Russia for more than 25 years, has used the USSR\u2019s victory in World War II to rally support for him and the war in Ukraine, as well as to project Russia\u2019s global clout.<\/p>\n