"Ukraine and Russia agreed Friday to a three-day halt in fighting during Russia's annual commemoration of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, a pause to begin Saturday and to include a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each side."
"Zelensky said Ukraine accepted the pause as an opportunity to exchange prisoners rather than out of deference to Russia's holiday calendar. Ukraine has used its growing long-range drone capacity to taunt Putin over the safety of Russia's annual military parades in central Moscow."
""Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home," Zelensky wrote on X. "I thank the President of the United States and his team for their productive diplomatic involvement. We expect the United States to ensure that the Russian side fulfills these agreements.""
""We welcome this initiative, which builds on a telephone conversation between the presidents of Russia and the United States," said Yuri Ushakov, a longtime diplomatic adviser to Putin. Putin and Trump had "emphasized that our countries were allies during World War II and discussed the possibility of a ceasefire during Victory Day celebrations," Ushakov said."
Ukraine and Russia agreed to pause fighting for three days starting Saturday to coincide with Russia’s Victory Day commemoration. The pause includes exchanging 1,000 prisoners from each side. Donald Trump announced that both Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin accepted the request for the truce. Zelensky said Ukraine accepted the pause to enable a prisoner exchange rather than to defer to Russia’s holiday schedule, and he urged the United States to ensure Russia fulfills the agreement. Russian officials credited Trump with brokering the pause and said it followed a phone conversation between the two presidents that included discussion of a ceasefire during Victory Day celebrations.
Read at The Washington Post
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