BBC: Donald Trump has announced a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, after both countries accused each other of violating separate ceasefires declared by each side to cover the celebrations of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
“This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country,” the US president said.
Shortly afterwards Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukraine’s participation, while Russian state media also said Russia had agreed to the proposal.
Earlier both sides said the other had continued to attack their positions and Moscow’s mayor said the city had been targeted by drones overnight.
In his post Trump said he had personally requested the three-day truce and “I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy”.
Putin had announced a ceasefire for 8-9 May ahead of Victory Day celebrations on Saturday. Kyiv had earlier called for an indefinite truce, starting 6 May. Russia has warned Ukraine not to try to attack the Victory Day parade in Red Square.
Its defence ministry has threatened to launch a “retaliatory, massive missile strike” on the centre of Kyiv if Moscow is attacked. It has warned foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital ahead of 9 May.
For the first time in nearly two decades there will be no military hardware at the parade, while the Russian capital is on high alert over the fears that Ukraine could try to disrupt the events.
Residents of Moscow and St Petersburg have also been warned their mobile internet access will be limited for security reasons.
The celebrations used to bring large numbers of foreign guests to Moscow, but this time only the leaders of Belarus, Malaysia and Laos, and a few other dignitaries, will attend.
On Friday both sides accused the other of battlefield ceasefire violations. The Russian defence ministry said Ukraine was also striking civilian targets in border areas of the Kursk and Belgorod regions, close to the conflict zone. Russian armed forces provided a “mirror response” to the violations, the ministry added.
Meanwhile Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said some 20 drones had been downed near the city in just the first two hours of the ceasefire. Ukrainian strikes were also reported on industrial sites in the Perm and Yaroslavl regions, as well as sites in the Rostov region and the Chechen capital Grozny.
Thirteen airports in southern Russia also suspended operations after a drone attack.
Meanwhile Zelensky posted on Telegram that there had been more than 140 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the first few hours of the truce, and more than 850 drone strikes. The Ukrainian leader said his country would “act in kind”.
