Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a brief, 30-hour pause in hostilities in Ukraine that will cover Easter Sunday, even as he continues to resist US pressure for a 30-day ceasefire.
The truce is set to take effect at 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday and end at midnight Sunday, Putin said at a televised meeting with the military’s chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov.
“I order all combat operations to cease for that period. We proceed from the premise that the Ukrainian side will follow our example,” Putin said.
“At the same time, our forces must be ready to repel any violation of the ceasefire and any provocations from the adversary.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed the announcement.
“As for yet another attempt by Putin to play with human lives — at this moment, air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine,” with attack drones detected in the skies, he said on X.
“Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.”
Putin’s move comes after the US warned on Friday that it may abandon efforts to end the war in Ukraine within days if there isn’t progress toward a ceasefire.
On Friday, the Kremlin said an order to pause strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days had expired, with no updated instructions in place.
Russia has offered brief truces before during its three-year war in Ukraine, notably a proposal for a cessation of hostilities during the Orthodox Christmas period in 2023.
Trump has expressed increasing frustration with the pace of negotiations with Putin.
Still, he’s shown determination to get a deal done to halt to hostilities within a target of 100 days of his Jan. 20 inauguration — or April 30.
The US is open to recognizing Crimea as part of Russia under a peace agreement with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported earlier Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Easter truce will show Ukraine’s readiness for peace, Putin said, adding that he supports efforts by Trump to reach a solution to the conflict.
Russian troops, which control around 20 per cent of Ukraine, continue to inch forward on the battlefield.
Moscow said Saturday it ejected Ukrainian forces from a village in the Russian region of Kursk, leaving just one settlement in the area under Ukraine’s control.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Telegram that its troops took over the village of Oleshnya, close to the border with Ukraine.
Kremlin forces are still trying to recapture the village of Gornal, the last hold-out of the Ukrainian army in the region, the Tass state news service said.
Ukrainian authorities haven’t confirmed the loss of Oleshnya. Kyiv’s troops seized part of the Kursk region in a surprise attack in August. Russia has now recovered 99.5 per cent of the occupied territory in Kursk, Gerasimov said.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine swapped 246 prisoners of war each on Saturday, the Russian defense ministry said. Russia also set free 31 wounded Ukrainian soldiers in return for 15 Russian troops needing urgent medical care, it said.
The exchange, brokered by the United Arab Emirates, is the latest such deal that’s seen several thousand soldiers released.
Our people are home—one of the best pieces of news that can be. Another 277 warriors have returned home from Russian captivity.
