Russia and Ukraine agree on a three-day truce and the exchange of two thousand prisoners

BarcelonaRussia and Ukraine have agreed to a three-day ceasefire, from this Saturday to Monday, coinciding with the commemoration of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in Moscow. The first to announce it was the President of the United States, Donald Trump, but shortly after, Volodymyr Zelensky and the Kremlin confirmed it. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the truce would include a suspension "of all kinetic activity" and also an exchange of a thousand prisoners from each country. The announcement comes the day after the Russian Ministry of Defense declared a unilateral three-day truce, in this case, from Friday to Sunday. For his part, the Ukrainian president had proposed that the ceasefire begin on Wednesday.

But during this week, the exchange of attacks between Ukraine and Russia has not ceased. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced this Friday that Russia has not respected the ceasefire declared by its own Ministry of Defense. "Tonight, the Russian army has continued attacking Ukrainian positions. By 7 AM, more than 140 attacks on the front had been documented," Zelensky pointed out, also denouncing ten Russian assaults concentrated mainly on the Sloviansk front, in the Donetsk region, and the launch of nearly a thousand drones.

In response to the attacks, Kyiv has launched drones against industrial facilities in the Russian region of Perm, as reported by Governor Dmitry Makhonin. Throughout the night, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine allegedly launched 264 drones against Russia, which forced the suspension of activity at 13 Russian airports. And as it has done in recent weeks, Kyiv has once again attacked a Russian oil infrastructure, located more than 700 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, in the province of Yaroslavl. Zelensky has taken advantage of the attacks to once again demand that Russia opt for a "genuine peace".

Fear of an attack in Moscow

Putin, as he already did last year, declared a temporary ceasefire on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations. With a particularly solid attack capacity in recent months, the Kremlin fears that a Ukrainian attack will tarnish the usual military parade held every May 9 in Moscow.

In a gesture unprecedented in almost two decades, this Saturday at the parade neither tanks nor missiles will be exhibited, because the Kremlin cannot guarantee security. The attack on a Moscow skyscraper this week has added nervousness to Russian power circles, worried because it has been demonstrated again that the defense systems surrounding the city are not infallible.

Paranoia has reached such a point that Russian authorities have withdrawn press credentials from journalists of all foreign media outlets for the Victory Parade, the German newspaper Der Spiegel reported. According to the outlet, a Kremlin representative called them to inform them that "the current situation" had forced them to rethink "the format of media coverage" of the event. It is the first time that a mass withdrawal of credentials for the parade has occurred, the outlet denounces.

Furthermore, several media outlets have pointed out in recent days that the concern in Russian ranks is not only about what might happen during the parade: Putin has feared for months of being the victim of an assassination. Even so, the Kremlin has not respected even its own proposal. Moscow had warned Kyiv that if it broke the ceasefire, which in practice has not existed at any time, Russia would respond with a "massive" attack. For now, the Kremlin has retaliated with attacks against several command posts and Ukrainian drone launch sites.

The breach of the announced truce comes in a week in which a ceasefire proposal made by Kyiv and which was to begin on Wednesday was not respected. On Tuesday, hours before the truce, Moscow carried out one of the deadliest attacks of the year, with at least 27 dead and 120 wounded.

Negotiations

Meanwhile, Ukraine's chief peace negotiator, Rustem Umerov, arrived in Miami on Thursday to negotiate with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. And US envoys are expected to visit Kyiv in late spring and summer, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday. Zelensky said on X that Kyiv and Washington are coordinating the agenda for the visit: "We hope that this time we can make what has been planned a reality and revitalize diplomacy."

However, European Union leaders are reconsidering leading negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv again. According to the Financial Times on Thursday, the little progress made in the talks sponsored by US President Donald Trump has motivated European leaders to change their stance. The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, reportedly told the British media that there was "potential" for the EU to negotiate with Putin and that the bloc had the support of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia, which has so far based its strategy on making unacceptable demands for Ukraine during negotiations, has not closed the door to sitting down with Brussels. "Putin is ready to negotiate with everyone. He has repeatedly stated this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this morning. "We will be ready to continue our dialogue to the extent that the Europeans are willing to do so." However, Putin's regime believes it is up to the European governments to take the first step.