Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky attends the European Political Community summit in Armenia on Monday.LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images
Russia has agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative for a ceasefire with Ukraine from Saturday, May 9 to Monday, May 11 and to carry out a prisoner exchange with Kyiv during that period, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Friday.
Trump on Friday announced on social media there would be a three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine to mark the end of the Second World War for the Russians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday confirmed the three-day ceasefire had been arranged with Russia as part of U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the more than four-year-old war.
Zelensky, writing on Telegram, also said each of the two sides would be exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war, with humanitarian issues remaining a key Ukrainian priority.
“That is why today, within the framework of the negotiation process mediated by the American side, we received Russia’s agreement to conduct a prisoner of war exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000,” Zelensky wrote.
“A ceasefire is also to be established on May 9, 10, 11.”