According to the reports on Friday (9 May), U.S. President Donald Trump called for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war following a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump warned that failure to respect the ceasefire would result in increased sanctions from the U.S. and its allies. Zelenskyy responded by expressing Ukraine’s openness to peace talks, but emphasized that Russia must first demonstrate genuine intent by halting all hostilities unconditionally.
A senior Ukrainian official described the 20-minute call as having gone “very well,” with both leaders focusing on diplomacy and de-escalation. The discussion also included the recently ratified Ukraine-U.S. minerals deal. This agreement marks a significant step in strengthening economic ties between the two nations as they also work together on matters of security and conflict resolution.
Despite Putin’s self-declared ceasefire, Ukrainian officials reported over 700 violations by Russian forces within the first 12 hours. Kyiv’s foreign minister labeled the Russian truce a “farce,” claiming that it served only to protect celebrations for the 80th anniversary of Russia’s World War II victory. Russian shelling killed at least one civilian in northeast Ukraine and artillery attacks continued across a 1,000-kilometer frontline, although at a reduced intensity.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of breaching the ceasefire and stated that Russian forces would continue to mirror Ukraine’s actions. Several Russian regions issued drone alerts, although no drone attacks were confirmed. In support of the U.S.-proposed ceasefire, northern European nations and the UK endorsed the call for an immediate and unconditional truce to halt further violence.
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