Trump: 'Russia and Ukraine Agree to 3-Day Ceasefire'... Clashes Continue Ahead of Victory Day

(Washington=Compiled) U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 8th (local time) that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a temporary three-day ceasefire. However, on the same day, the two countries accused each other of violating a separate ceasefire agreement, raising questions about its effectiveness.

According to the BBC and other outlets, President Trump announced that "Russia and Ukraine have agreed to halt combat for three days." The ceasefire draws attention as it coincides with the period surrounding the World War II Victory Day commemoration to be held in Moscow on the 9th. Russia has long marked May 9 each year as 'Victory Day,' commemorating its triumph over Nazi Germany on a grand scale.

However, the two countries are already engaged in a war of words, accusing each other of breaking a separately agreed-upon ceasefire. Ukraine claimed that Russian forces continued airstrikes on the eastern front, while Russia countered that Ukraine had attacked infrastructure in border regions.

Meanwhile, the Greek Navy discovered a suspicious unmanned maritime drone, believed to be loaded with explosives, in the Ionian Sea on the same day and launched an investigation. Greek media have raised the possibility that the drone may be of Ukrainian origin or linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. Analysts suggest that the fact such a maritime drone drifted as far as the vicinity of the Balkan Peninsula indicates the war's ripple effects are broader than expected.

The Trump administration has prioritized ending the Russia-Ukraine war as its top diplomatic agenda since taking office, and intends to use the three-day ceasefire as a stepping stone for full-scale negotiations to end the war. However, with trust between the two sides at rock bottom, observers say it remains uncertain whether a short-term ceasefire can lead to sustainable peace.