US President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, effective May 9–11, 2026, coinciding with Russia's Victory Day celebrations and including a mutual prisoner swap of 1,000 detainees from each side. Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed agreement, with Zelenskyy ordering Ukrainian forces to avoid strikes on Moscow's Red Square during the May 9 parade.
Trump shared the news on Truth Social, calling it a potential "beginning of the end" to the four-year conflict that has devastated Ukraine, while crediting direct talks with Putin and Zelenskyy. The truce suspends all military actions, though past unilateral pauses have collapsed amid mutual accusations of violations.
In stark contrast, the US remains locked in Israel's war against Iran, pouring billions into airstrikes and missile defense while Tehran-backed militias continue rocket barrages across the region. Trump's swift Ukraine diplomacy highlights selective peacemaking that ignores the wider Middle East fire he helped ignite.
