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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in some of the hostilities to observe the holiday.
Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting on 4 p.m. Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday.
Zelenskyy proposed earlier in the week that each side stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as Russia’s invasion stretches into a fifth year.
After Putin’s announcement, Zelenskyy posted a statement to X saying “Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready for symmetrical steps. We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holidays this year and will act accordingly.”
The Ukrainian leader also said “people need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well. “
Prior ceasefire attempts
Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact. Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.
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The Kremlin statement announcing the ceasefire said that “orders have been issued for this period to cease hostilities in all directions,” adding that “troops are to be prepared to counter any possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions.”
“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” it said.
Russia has effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the U.S. and Ukraine as a step toward peace, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, but Moscow has announced several short, unilateral ceasefires.
The U.S.-led talks have made no progress on key issues, and Washington’s attention has switched to the Middle East conflict while the Russian and Ukrainian armies remain locked in battle on the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line.
