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According to Trump, the agreement includes a pause “of all kinetic activity” and a massive prisoner exchange involving 1,000 prisoners from each side.
The prisoner swap alone would mark one of the largest exchanges since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The development comes after Trump revealed last month that he held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the possibility of a temporary truce. Following an April 29 phone call between the two leaders, Trump hinted that momentum was building toward at least a limited pause in the fighting.
That momentum now appears to have materialized.
Russia had already announced its own brief ceasefire tied to Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, where the Kremlin traditionally hosts massive military parades in Red Square to commemorate the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II.
But Ukraine has pushed for something far broader.
Kyiv has reportedly proposed an open-ended ceasefire beginning this week, calling on Moscow to fully reciprocate and end military operations indefinitely.
So far, neither side appears willing to fully surrender its demands.
Negotiations remain bogged down over eastern Ukraine, particularly the heavily contested Donetsk region. Moscow continues demanding that Ukraine withdraw from portions of the territory Russia claims to have annexed but still does not fully control militarily.
Ukraine has flatly rejected those demands and insists it will not surrender land still held by Ukrainian forces.
Despite the deadlock, the Trump administration appears determined to keep talks alive.
Officials confirmed Thursday that Ukraine’s top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, traveled to Miami for meetings with American representatives as diplomatic efforts intensify behind closed doors.
The talks come amid growing exhaustion on all sides of the conflict.
Russia has suffered staggering battlefield losses. Ukraine continues struggling with manpower shortages and infrastructure devastation. Western nations face increasing political pressure over endless military spending and economic fallout tied to the war.
Meanwhile, skepticism remains high.
Both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused one another of violating previous ceasefires almost immediately after they were announced. Earlier humanitarian truces frequently collapsed within hours as shelling and drone attacks resumed.
That history has left many observers questioning whether this latest agreement will actually hold.
Still, Trump’s supporters are already pointing to the development as proof that his foreign policy approach is producing results where establishment diplomats failed.
For years, critics claimed the war had no realistic off-ramp and would drag on indefinitely. Now, even a short-term ceasefire is being viewed by many as a potentially critical opening toward something larger.
The timing is politically significant as well.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the war would never have erupted under his leadership and has criticized the Biden administration for fueling escalation without delivering a path to peace.
Now, with negotiations advancing under his watch, Trump is positioning himself as the central figure capable of ending one of the world’s deadliest modern conflicts.
Whether this three-day pause becomes a historic breakthrough or merely another failed truce remains to be seen.
But after years of nonstop war, even a temporary silence on the battlefield is enough to capture the attention of the entire world.
