Putin Says Russian Soldiers Fighting 'Aggressive' NATO-Backed Force in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that his soldiers in Ukraine were fighting an 'aggressive force' backed by all of NATO, in a combative address to the annual Victory Day parade on Red Square. The parade was vastly scaled back compared to previous years, with no military hardware on display for the first time in nearly two decades and only a handful of foreign dignitaries in attendance.

The ceasefire, which was agreed upon by both Russia and Ukraine, will be accompanied by a prisoner exchange, with 1,000 detainees from each side to be swapped. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his government would adhere to the ceasefire, stating that the lives of Ukrainian prisoners were more important than disrupting the parade.

The war in Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands of people and spiralled into Europe's deadliest since World War II. U.S.-mediated talks on ending the fighting have shown little progress since February.

The immediate outlook is that the ceasefire will be in effect for three days, with the possibility of further negotiations on ending the war. Ukrainian President Zelensky expressed hope that U.S. envoys would visit Ukraine in the coming weeks to reboot talks on ending the war. The court will not be involved in this matter, but diplomatic efforts will continue.