The Kremlin has claimed that Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he is prepared to observe a temporary truce over Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, in a call that Moscow says also saw the US president express support for a potential pause in the fighting in Ukraine.
According to Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy aide to Vladimir Putin, the conversation with Donald Trump lasted about 90 minutes and focused heavily on the war in Ukraine and the prospect of a limited ceasefire.
Ushakov said Putin complained during the call about Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory and reiterated Moscow’s stated position that it would achieve its objectives in the war, while also suggesting a preference for what he described as a negotiated settlement. The comments were reported by the Russian state media agency RIA Novosti.
Trump, according to the Kremlin account, told Putin that a deal to end the war in Ukraine was “almost there”, raising further questions over Washington’s evolving messaging on the conflict.
The reported exchange comes amid renewed discussion in Moscow of a symbolic ceasefire over Victory Day, which marks Russia’s defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War and remains one of the most politically significant dates in the Russian calendar.
However, previous Russian ceasefire declarations have been heavily disputed by Kyiv. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of using temporary pauses in fighting for tactical advantage rather than genuine de-escalation.
Last year, Putin announced a unilateral ceasefire around Victory Day lasting from 8 to 11 May. Ukrainian officials said it was widely violated. Ukraine’s foreign ministry, citing military data, claimed Russian forces carried out hundreds of breaches during the period, including assault operations, drone strikes and air attacks.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has previously said that any ceasefire must be verifiable and enforceable, warning that “empty declarations” from Moscow cannot be considered credible without monitoring and compliance mechanisms.
The latest Kremlin proposal is therefore likely to be met with scepticism in Kyiv, where officials remain wary of any pause that is not independently monitored or agreed under clear conditions.
On the ground, Ukrainian forces remain on high alert amid continued fighting along multiple sectors of the front line, with no indication that hostilities are easing despite renewed diplomatic language from Moscow.
While the Kremlin has framed the call as evidence of openness to negotiation, there has been no confirmation from Washington of the specific details attributed to Trump, nor any indication of a formal diplomatic initiative emerging from the exchange.
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