Russia and Ukraine begin three-day truce as Trump pushes for fuller deal

A 72-hour ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect at 00:00 Moscow time on 9 May 2026, accompanied by a reciprocal exchange of 1,000 prisoners on each side. US President Donald Trump said the truce will run through 11 May and frame the next round of talks aimed at ending Europe's largest war since 1945.

Key facts

• Ceasefire window: 00:00 9 May to 23:59 11 May 2026 (Moscow time).
• Prisoner swap: 1,000 Russian and 1,000 Ukrainian detainees, conducted in three tranches at the Belarus border.
• Trump confirmed the pause from the White House on 8 May; the Kremlin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued separate statements within hours.
• The truce overlaps Russia's Victory Day parade on 9 May, marking 81 years since the end of WWII in Europe.
• Negotiators from Washington, Kyiv, Moscow and Ankara are scheduled to reconvene in Istanbul on 13 May.

The deal was brokered after a fortnight of shuttle diplomacy by US envoy Steve Witkoff, who travelled to Moscow on 30 April and Kyiv on 5 May. CNN reported that Trump phoned both capitals on the morning of 8 May to lock in the start time after Kyiv pushed for a 96-hour window. Russia agreed only to 72 hours, citing security concerns around the Victory Day parade in Red Square.

What the truce covers — and what it does not

Under the terms communicated by the White House, all front-line fire, drone strikes and long-range missile attacks are to halt. The Black Sea remains a contested area: Ukraine sought a maritime extension, but the published text only references land and air operations. Both armies retain the right to respond to violations, a clause that earlier short truces around Easter 2025 and Christmas 2025 ultimately failed on.

Civilian targets in both countries have been the most visible casualty in recent weeks. Al Jazeera reported that Russian glide-bomb strikes on Kharkiv and Sumy killed at least 47 people between 1 and 7 May, while Ukrainian drones struck oil terminals at Tuapse and Novorossiysk. The truce, if observed, would mark the longest pause in active combat since the failed Istanbul talks of March 2022.

Why Trump is pushing now

The White House framed the pause as a confidence-building measure rather than an endpoint. Trump told reporters on 8 May that the goal is a "durable settlement" and that he would be "very disappointed" if either side broke the truce. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiators will table a fuller framework in Istanbul covering territorial lines, security guarantees, sanctions relief and a long-term reconstruction package estimated by the World Bank at €486 billion.

European reactions were cautious. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the pause but warned that any settlement must include Ukrainian accession options to NATO or an equivalent security architecture. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, fresh from his own coalition reset in Berlin, said the EU would only lift sanctions in lockstep with verified Russian troop withdrawals.

The Luxembourg angle

The Grand Duchy has hosted Ukrainian war refugees since March 2022 and committed €204 million in cumulative civilian and military aid through end-2025. Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said on 8 May that Luxembourg supports the pause but is preparing for the possibility that hostilities resume on 12 May. The Chamber of Deputies is scheduled to debate a fourth tranche of aid worth €87 million on 21 May.

What to watch next

The first tranche of the prisoner exchange was scheduled for the Brest crossing in Belarus on the morning of 9 May, with the International Committee of the Red Cross monitoring the handover. Diplomats expect that any violation in the first 24 hours will collapse the wider talks; conversely, a clean three-day window would put pressure on both sides to extend it before the Istanbul meeting on 13 May.

Bottom line

A 72-hour Russia–Ukraine ceasefire and a 2,000-prisoner swap began on 9 May 2026 under direct US pressure. The pause itself is narrow, but Washington is using it to test whether Moscow and Kyiv can sustain a longer settlement track in Istanbul on 13 May.