Putin Backs 3-Day Ukraine Ceasefire, Says Peace Far Off
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- Dmitry Peskov said the US is 'in a hurry' to clinch a Ukraine peace deal but that reaching agreement is 'a very long way off' because the issues are 'far too complex' and talks are 'basically on hold.'
- Trump announced a three-day ceasefire from May 9 to May 11 that both Russia and Ukraine agreed to, writing on Truth Social it would include a suspension of all 'kinetic activity.'
- Trump's proposed ceasefire terms include a prisoner swap of 1,000 detainees from each country, and he told reporters he'd 'like to see a big extension' and added 'it could be.'
- Russian forces have been fighting in Ukraine for over four years — longer than Soviet forces fought in WWII — yet remain unable to take the whole of the Donbas region, where Kyiv's troops have been pushed back to 'fortress cities.'
- Yuri Ushakov confirmed the agreement covers only three days — May 9, 10, and 11 — and said negotiations 'will probably resume, but it is still unclear when.'
- Peskov cast the US push for a deal as a product of Trump's frustration, telling state TV that Trump 'has vowed to end the Ukraine war' and has framed his failure to do so as one of his biggest disappointments.
Why it matters: The Kremlin's framing — a symbolic three-day Victory Day truce with no movement on substance — shows Russia is willing to pause fighting for a holiday but has not conceded any negotiating ground. For Trump, who has publicly tied his legacy to ending the war, the gap between his stated openness to extension and Moscow's insistence that talks remain paused is the core obstacle; the 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap is the only concrete deliverable on the table.
