The Trump-Putin-Zelensky Ceasefire and the Red Square Victory Parade

A temporary three-day ceasefire has been established between Russia and Ukraine for May 9th, 10th, and 11th, 2026. The agreement includes a suspension of kinetic military activity and a prisoner of war exchange involving 1,000 prisoners from each side.Donald Trump publicly announced the ceasefire, claiming it was his direct initiative. However, it is alleged that the true origin of the agreement stems from a secret phone call in which Vladimir Putin sought a cessation of hostilities to safely conduct a Victory Day parade in Moscow without the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes. Reports indicate that Trump subsequently contacted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, pleading on Putin's behalf to secure the three-day pause. Prior to this agreement, Zelensky had challenged Russia to implement a ceasefire from May 6th to 8th to prove their commitment to a durable peace, but Russia instead responded by bombing civilian areas in Zaporizhzhia.Zelensky ultimately agreed to the May 9-11 ceasefire, but placed strict geographical conditions on the pause in fighting. He issued a formal decree officially "permitting" the Russian parade in Moscow on May 9th, 2026, starting at 10:00 a.m. Kyiv time. The decree explicitly outlined the coordinates of Red Square, designating only that specific area as excluded from the operational plan for Ukrainian weapon strikes.In addition to addressing the ceasefire, Trump recently departed the White House for a dinner with Saudi representatives regarding a LIV golf tournament at his Virginia golf club. During a press briefing on the White House lawn, Trump faced questions regarding a U.S. missile strike that hit an elementary school in Iran ten weeks prior, resulting in the deaths of nearly 200 young girls. Despite military leadership allegedly admitting it was a U.S. Tomahawk missile, Trump stated the incident was still "under study" and claimed that relations and military affairs with Iran are proceeding very well.Furthermore, when questioned about a spreading Hantavirus outbreak, Trump stated that experts are studying the virus closely, noting that it has been around for a long time and is not easily transferable. He also rejected the idea of reconsidering the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization. Finally, Trump made brief remarks expressing his love for South Korea and celebrated recent political and electoral victories in Virginia and Iraq.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-world-between-us--6886561/support.