As ceasefire begins, Zelenskyy says ‘Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home’
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Europe.
A three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine kicks off today that will include “a suspension of all “kinetic activity” and a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country. Though it was first announced by Donald Trump on social media, it has since been confirmed by both sides.
Russia had previously announced a ceasefire to mark its 9 May second world war Victory Day, which Ukraine had previously lambasted after Moscow intensified attacks with a series of devastating bombings of busy urban areas this week, in spite of a unilateral 24-hour ceasefire called by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in exchange for the Victory Day ceasefire.
Zelenskyy wrote on X on Friday:
