US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a three-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war ahead of Russia’s annual Victory Day parade.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said the truce would begin on Saturday.
“The celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II,” he wrote.
A large number of prisoners from both sides will also be included.
“This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prisoner swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country," Mr Trump wrote.
Russia holds a Victory Day parade on May 9 in Moscow every year to commemorate the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
The military parade takes place in Red Square and is one of Russia’s more important state ceremonies.
In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the ceasefire and prisoner release deal.
"Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be returned home," he wrote in a post on Telegram.
Russia's news agency Tass also confirmed the "thousand-for-thousand" prisoner exchange with Kyiv, and the ceasefire.
In his post, Mr Trump said he had personally requested the ceasefire and praised the efforts of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Mr Zelenskyy.
He added that negotiations aimed at ending the war, now in its fourth year, were continuing.
The war between Russia and Ukraine erupted in early 2022, when Russian forces invaded eastern Ukrainian territory. Kyiv initially received strong support from European allies as well as the US, but Mr Trump's return to office put future aid from Washington in jeopardy.
Mr Trump campaigned on ending the war, and he claimed he could end it within 24 hours of entering office. After beginning his second term, he engaged in an explosive Oval Office exchange with Mr Zelenskyy, paused and then restarted military and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and hosted Mr Putin for a much-vaunted but ultimately underwhelming summit in Alaska.
US mediation efforts seem to have stalled, and Mr Trump has appeared to shift his focus to other issues, such as the ongoing war in Iran.
