Putin Proposes Ukraine Ceasefire for Victory Day. Trump Backs It. Zelensky Wants More.

In a 90-minute call Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed halting the fighting in Ukraine around May 9 — Russia’s Victory Day holiday — and President Trump said he supported it.

The two leaders discussed the Ukraine war and the ongoing Iran conflict, according to the Kremlin and White House. Trump, speaking to reporters afterward, called it “a very good conversation” and said he had pushed for a pause in the fighting. The conversation came as the EU finalized a €90 billion ($106 billion) interest-free loan to Ukraine to backstop Kyiv’s war effort through 2027.

“I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire, and I think he might do that,” Trump said. “He might announce something having to do with that.”

What Moscow proposed

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, in a post-call briefing, said Putin expressed readiness to halt hostilities around Russia’s annual commemoration of the Soviet victory in World War II. According to Ushakov, Trump “actively supported this initiative, noting that the holiday marks our shared victory.”

The Kremlin account also quoted Trump as saying a peace deal to end the war is “already close” — language Trump has used before and which Kyiv and European officials have consistently treated with caution.

No formal ceasefire announcement followed the call Tuesday.

Zelensky’s position

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not on the call. An aide said no Trump-Zelensky call was immediately scheduled, though one could happen “the next minute” if needed.

Zelensky’s response was pointed. “Our proposal is a long-term ceasefire, reliable and guaranteed security for people, and a lasting peace,” he said — framing Ukraine’s demand as the inverse of a symbolic pause timed to a Moscow parade.

A script from last year

Russia made the same offer in 2025. It didn’t hold.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha reported 734 Russian ceasefire violations in the first half of May 9, 2025 alone, including 63 assault operations. Russia’s defense ministry countered that Ukraine had committed 9,318 violations over the same period.

Both sides accused the other of breaking the truce first, and fighting continued throughout it. Zelensky called the 2025 Victory Day pause “a theatrical performance.”

What else was on the call

Trump told reporters the conversation centered more on Ukraine than on Iran, though the Kremlin confirmed both conflicts were discussed. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports was on the agenda, as was what the Kremlin described as broader Middle East stability.

No joint statement was released and no timeline was set for a formal announcement.

Whether Moscow follows through before May 9 — and whether a ceasefire, if declared, holds any longer than last year’s — may become clear within days.