Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday (May 9, 2026) said the war in Ukraine was winding down, slamming Western support for Kyiv, as the first day of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was marked by mutual accusations of violations.

Mr. Putin spoke after telling soldiers at the scaled-down parade in Moscow that they were fighting an “aggressive force” in Ukraine, backed by all of NATO and describing his war goals as “just”.

The Russian leader has made the memory of the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II a central narrative of his 25-year rule and repeatedly invoked it to justify his Ukraine offensive.

Russian authorities typically mark the Victory Day parade with pomp and grandeur. But a spate of Ukrainian long-range attacks in recent weeks prompted the Kremlin to ramp up security measures and downsize this year’s celebrations.

When asked after the parade whether the Western military aid to Ukraine had gone too far, Mr. Putin said, “They started ratcheting up the confrontation with Russia, which continues to this day.

“I think it (the conflict) is heading to an end but it’s still a serious matter,” he added. “They spent months waiting for Russia to suffer a crushing defeat, for its statehood to collapse. It didn’t work out.”

“And then they got stuck in that groove and now they can’t get out of it,” Mr. Putin said, referring to the Western countries.

Mr. Putin added he was ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a third country only once all conditions for a potential peace agreement were settled.

“This should be the final point, not the negotiations themselves,” he said.

Ceasefire violations

After two failed attempts at truces this week by both Russia and Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (May 8, 2026) announced that a three-day ceasefire between both sides would come into effect from Saturday (May 9, 2026).

Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations of violations, but no major strikes were reported, despite continued drone activity and civilian casualties on both sides.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard-fought War,” Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social network, adding the ceasefire would be accompanied by a prisoner exchange.

The Kremlin said that as of now there were no plans to prolong the truce.

The warring sides also agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each during the truce. But Mr. Putin said on Saturday (May 9, 2026) that Russia had not yet received any proposals from Ukraine on the exchange.

U.S.-mediated talks on ending the fighting have shown little progress since February, when Washington shifted focus to its war against Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday (May 8, 2026) that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners, adding that such a halt to hostilities could be the “beginning of the end” of the long war between them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the agreement.

Mr. Trump announced on social media that the ceasefire would run Saturday (May 9, 2026) through Monday (May 11, 2026). Saturday (May 9, 2026) is Victory Day in Russia, a holiday that commemorates victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Mr. Trump wrote. “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.”

The Republican president said the ceasefire includes a suspension of all kinetic activity and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners by each country.

Russia had announced a ceasefire for Friday (May 8, 2026) and Saturday (May 9, 2026), but it quickly unravelled, with both sides blaming the other for the continued fighting, just as they had when Ukraine’s own unilateral ceasefire had swiftly collapsed earlier in the week.

Mr. Trump said he made his request for the ceasefire “directly” to the two presidents. “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War,” he said.

Mr. Trump added that talks continue over ending the war that began in February 2022 “and we are getting closer and closer every day.” Mr. Trump has gone back and forth over whether the war will end, at times expressing optimism and at other times saying Russia and Ukraine should be left to fight it out to the bitter end.

Mr. Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s decision on how to engage with those discussions was shaped in part by the prospect of freeing its prisoners. Ukraine has made the return of prisoners of war a central demand throughout the conflict.

“Red Square matters less to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war who can be brought home,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Red Square is where Russia holds its traditional military parade to celebrate Victory Day, one of the biggest holidays of the year.

After releasing his statement, Mr. Zelenskyy issued a formal presidential decree “authorising” Russia to hold the parade, declaring Red Square off-limits for Ukrainian strikes for the duration of the event. The framing of the decree appeared designed to underscore Kyiv’s claim that it holds effective targeting reach over the Russian capital, while publicly tying Ukrainian restraint to the ceasefire terms.

Mr. Zelenskyy said the deal was reached through a U.S.-mediated process and thanked Mr. Trump and the American team for what he called effective diplomatic engagement. He said Ukraine expected Washington to hold Russia to the terms of the agreement.

“We are counting on the United States to ensure that Russia fulfills its commitments,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.

Mr. Zelenskyy said he had instructed his team to prepare everything necessary for the exchange without delay.

Mr. Trump’s announcement came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a much more sombre tone about negotiations to halt Russia’s four-year-old war in Ukraine, saying U.S. mediation efforts have not led to a “fruitful outcome” so far.

“While we’re prepared to play whatever role we can to bring it to a peaceful diplomatic resolution, unfortunately right now, those efforts have stagnated,” Mr. Rubio told reporters at the end of a visit to Rome and the Vatican. “But we always stand ready if those circumstances change.”

Kremlin agrees to truce

Russia ​has agreed ‌to Mr. ​Trump’s ⁠initiative for the ceasefire and the prisoner swap, Kremlin aide Yuri ‌Ushakov said ​on Friday (May 8, 2026).

“I confirm the acceptability for the Russian side of the initiative just proposed by US President Donald Trump, concerning a ceasefire for a prisoner-of-war exchange between Russia and Ukraine,” the Kremlin’s foreign policy advisor Mr. Ushakov told journalists.

Russian air defences shot down 347 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday (May 7, 2026), in what appeared to be a major attack after Moscow spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire earlier in the week and tension mounted over safety at Russia’s upcoming Victory Day celebrations.

Incoming drones were destroyed over 20 Russian regions, including Moscow, according to the Defence Ministry, in Ukraine’s second-biggest aerial attack since Russia’s all-out invasion more than four years ago. The largest was last March when it launched 389 drones.

The attack came ahead of Russia’s most important secular holiday, Victory Day, which marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Russian authorities have declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday (May 8) and Saturday (May 9).

Ukraine had responded to that with its own suspension of hostilities from midnight on Tuesday (May 5). But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow disregarded the goodwill gesture and launched fresh attacks.

“Russia has not stopped any type of its military activity. Unfortunately, it has not stopped. Ukraine will act symmetrically,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in his regular evening video address on Wednesday (May 6).

He said on Thursday (May 7) on X that Russia’s attacks have been ceaseless, with drones, missiles, artillery shelling and glide bombs hitting civilian areas of Ukraine, including the power grid and rail network.

In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest, a drone strike wounded nine people, including three children, local officials said.

Tension has grown as Russia’s Victory Day celebrations approach and U.S.-led peace efforts gain no traction.

All mobile internet access and text messaging services will be shut down in the Russian capital on May 9, state media reported on Thursday (May 7), citing the country’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.

Also, a traditional parade in Moscow won’t feature the usual tanks, missiles and other military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades.

Russian authorities say they are concerned about possible Ukrainian attacks, as Kyiv has expanded its long-range drone and missile capabilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry cited the “current operational situation” as a reason for excluding military equipment.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday (May 7) that additional security measures were being taken due to the “rather complex operational situation”.

The measures being taken “are necessary to ensure the safety of citizens, which is an absolute priority,” Peskov told reporters.

The restrictions will include websites on the Russian government’s so-called “white list,” a group of state-approved online services that are kept available during the country’s increasingly common connectivity blackouts.

Home internet and Wi-Fi will be unaffected, officials said.

Ukraine’s air defence shot down 92 of the 102 drones Russia launched overnight, the military said.

Russia maintains a significant advantage in drone numbers, regularly deploying hundreds in a single attack.

A temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for Orthodox Easter is set to begin on Saturday (April 11, 2026) afternoon, as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the war falter.

The Kremlin said it had ordered a temporary truce from Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) until the end of Sunday, a 32-hour period.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (April 9, 2026) declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in some of the hostilities to observe the holiday.

Mr. Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting 4 p.m. (local time) Saturday (April 11, 2026) and lasting until the end of Sunday (April 11, 2026).

Mr. Zelenskyy proposed earlier in the week that each side stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as Russia’s invasion stretches into a fifth year.

The next round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations will take place on Wednesday (February 4, 2026) and Thursday (February 5, 2026), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday (February 1, 2026).

Envoys from Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. had been expected to meet that day in Abu Dhabi to continue negotiations aimed at ending Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbour.

“We have just had a report from our negotiating team. The dates for the next trilateral meetings have been set: Feb. 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine is ready for substantive talks, and we are interested in an outcome that will bring us closer to a real and dignified end to the war,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.

There was no immediate comment from U.S. or Russian officials.

On Saturday (January 31, 2026) afternoon, top Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said he had held a “constructive meeting with the U.S. peacemaking delegation” in Florida.

Officials have so far revealed few details of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which are part of a yearlong effort by the Trump administration to steer the sides toward a peace deal and end almost four years of all-out war.

While Ukrainian and Russian officials have agreed in principle with Washington’s calls for a compromise, Moscow and Kyiv differ deeply over what an agreement should look like.

A central issue is whether Russia should keep or withdraw from areas of Ukraine its forces have occupied, especially Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland called the Donbas, and whether it should get land there that it hasn’t yet captured.

Drones strike a Ukrainian maternity hospital

Elsewhere, Russian attack drones struck a maternity hospital in southern Ukraine on Sunday (February 1, 2026) morning, the Ukrainian emergency service reported. In a Telegram post, it said the strike wounded three women in the hospital in the city of Zaporizhzhia, and also sparked a fire in the gynaecology reception area that was later extinguished.

Days earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said Mr. Putin had agreed to temporarily halt the targeting of the Ukrainian capital and other cities, as the region suffers under freezing temperatures that have brought widespread hardship to Ukrainians.

The Kremlin confirmed on Friday (January 30, 2026) it agreed to hold off striking Kyiv until Sunday (February 1, 2026), but refused to reveal any details, making it difficult for an independent assessment of whether the conciliatory step had indeed taken place.

In the past week, Russia has struck energy assets in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa and in Kharkiv in the northeast. It also hit the Kyiv region on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring four.

Overnight into Sunday (February 1, 2026), Russia launched 90 attack drones, with 14 striking nine locations, Ukraine’s air force said in a Telegram post. A woman and a man were killed in an overnight drone strike in Dnipro, a city in eastern Ukraine, according to local administration head Oleksandr Hanzha.

Russian shelling also hit central Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, soon after 7 a.m. local time, seriously wounding a 59-year-old woman, according to a Facebook post by the municipal military administration. 

Russian ‍Foreign Minister Sergei ​Lavrov said on ‌Thursday (January 29, 2026) ​that he did not know what security guarantees the U.S. and Ukraine ​had agreed ⁠on but questioned their viability, Russian state ​media ⁠said.

Ukraine is seeking guarantees of its future ‌protection as part ‌of a deal to ‍end the war.

Mr. Lavrov was ‍quoted as saying that any guarantees that attempted to preserve the existing “regime” in ⁠Kyiv and use it as ​a springboard ⁠for threatening Russia were unlikely to ensure a reliable ⁠peace.

The United States and Ukraine have reached a consensus on several critical issues aimed at bringing an end to the nearly four-year conflict, but sensitive issues around territorial control in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, along with the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, remain unresolved, Ukraine’s President said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke as the U.S. showed the 20-point plan, hammered out after marathon talks in Florida in recent days, to Russian negotiators. A response is expected from Moscow on Wednesday (December 24, 2025), Mr. Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian President briefed journalists on each point of the plan on Tuesday (December 23). His comments were embargoed until Wednesday (December 24) morning. The draft proposal, which reflects Ukraine’s wishes, intertwines political and commercial interests to safeguard security while boosting economic potential.

At least two people were killed in a drone attack in Russia’s southwestern Saratov region, and parts of Ukraine went without power following targeted assaults on energy infrastructure, local authorities said Saturday (December 13, 2025), as U.S.-led peace talks on ending the war press on.

The drone attack damaged a residential building, and several windows were also blown out at a kindergarten and clinic, said Saratov regional Gov. Roman Busargin.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight.

In Ukraine, Russia launched overnight drone and missile strikes on five Ukrainian regions, targeting energy and port infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had sent over 450 drones and 30 missiles into Ukraine overnight.

“Thousands of families are now left without electricity after strikes last night in Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions,” he wrote on Telegram.

An attack on the Black Sea city of Odesa caused grain silos to catch fire at the port, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Reconstruction Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.

Two people were wounded in attacks on the wider Odesa region, according to regional head Oleh Kiper.

Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponising” the cold.

The latest round of attacks came after Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Friday (December 12, 2025) that Russian police and National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas and oversee the industry-rich region, even if a peace settlement ends Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine. This underscores Moscow’s ambition to maintain its presence in Donbas post-war. Ukraine is likely to reject such a stance as U.S.-led negotiations drag on.

Moscow will give its blessing to a ceasefire only after Ukraine’s forces have withdrawn from the front line, Mr. Ushakov said in comments published in Russian business daily Kommersant.

Meanwhile, Germany is set to host Mr. Zelenskyy on Monday (December 15, 2025) for talks as peace efforts gain momentum and European leaders seek to steer negotiations.

For months, American negotiators have tried to navigate the demands of each side as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a swift end to Russia’s war while growing increasingly exasperated by delays. The search for possible compromises has run into a major obstacle over who keeps Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russian forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv’s European allies on Tuesday (December 2, 2025) of sabotaging U.S.-led efforts to end the nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine.

“They don’t have a peace agenda, they’re on the side of the war,” Mr. Putin said after speaking to an investment forum and before he met in the Kremlin with a U.S. delegation led by envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Mr. Putin’s accusations appeared to be his latest attempt to sow dissension between Mr. Trump and European countries and set the stage for exempting Moscow from blame for any lack of progress.

“They don’t have a peace agenda, they’re on the side of the war,” Mr. Putin said of the Europeans in comments to reporters.

He accused Europe of amending peace proposals with “demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Russia,” thus “blocking the entire peace process,” only to blame Russia for it.

“That’s their goal,” Mr. Putin said.

He reiterated his long-held position that Russia has no plans to attack Europe — a concern regularly voiced by some European countries.

“But if Europe suddenly wants to wage a war with us and starts it, we are ready right away. There can be no doubt about that,” Mr. Putin said.

Russia started the war in 2022 with its full-scale invasion of a sovereign European country, and European governments have since spent billions of dollars to support Ukraine financially and militarily, to wean themselves from energy dependence on Russia and to strengthen their own militaries to deter Moscow from seizing more territory by force.

They worry that if Russia gets what it wants in Ukraine, it will have free rein to threaten or disrupt other European countries, which already have faced incursions from Russian drones and fighter jets, and an alleged widespread Russian sabotage campaign.

Speaking with Mr. Putin via a translator before the talks, Mr. Witkoff said he and Mr. Kushner had taken “a beautiful walk” around Moscow and described it as a “magnificent city.” Coinciding with Mr. Witkoff’s trip, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to Ireland, continuing his visits to European countries that have helped sustain his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.