Trump's Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Expires without Breakthrough
Trump announced on Friday that both Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to observe a truce spanning May 9–11, paired with a reciprocal 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange. He hailed the arrangement as a potential inflection point in a conflict that has ground on for more than four years.
"Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly and hard-fought war," Trump said. "Talks are continuing on ending this major conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day."
The announcement followed a high-stakes meeting in Miami between US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov — a session focused on accelerating diplomatic momentum and mapping out the next steps toward a settlement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled a willingness on Saturday to sit down face-to-face with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a neutral third country, though he stipulated the meeting would only take place to formalise a fully negotiated peace deal rather than to open preliminary discussions.
Zelenskyy subsequently confirmed that Kyiv had explored with Washington potential formats for direct talks with Putin "at the leadership level aimed at ending Russia's war" during Umerov's Miami visit.
The May 9–11 truce was not the first such attempt. Before Trump's proposal took shape, Moscow declared its own unilateral ceasefire for May 8–9, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II. Russia warned it would deliver a "massive" missile retaliation should any disruption mar its Victory Day ceremonies. Kyiv, in turn, announced it would honour a separate ceasefire beginning at midnight on May 6.
Despite the overlapping pledges of restraint, both sides swiftly traded accusations of truce violations — underscoring the vast trust deficit that continues to shadow every diplomatic overture.
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