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Putin's Victory Day ceasefire offer to Trump
Summary
A phone call between the Russian and US presidents produced a proposed pause in fighting around 9 May, set against sharply opposed negotiating aims.
What did Vladimir Putin put on the table when he spoke to Donald Trump on 29 April 2026? According to reports at the time, the Russian president used the phone call to offer a ceasefire for Victory Day on 9 May.
The offer came within the wider peace negotiations over the Russo-Ukrainian war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Those talks have gone through several rounds and follow the Minsk agreements of the War in Donbas period, from 2014 to 2022.
Positions far apart
The two sides have approached the negotiations with very different demands. Putin has sought recognition of all occupied land as Russian, and of the regions Russia claims but does not fully occupy. He has also sought guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, curtailment of Ukraine's military, and the lifting of sanctions on Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sought a ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Russian troops, and the return of prisoners and kidnapped Ukrainian children. He has also called for prosecution of Russian leaders for war crimes, and for security guarantees to prevent further Russian aggression.
Against that backdrop, the 29 April proposal was a limited offer tied to a single date, made in a call with the US president rather than as part of a broader settlement.
