Putin Calls for Easter Ceasefire, Zelenskyy Backs Temporary Truce
Zelenskiy says Ukraine repeatedly proposed halt to fighting for Orthodox Easter
Masco-(Special Correspondent/Web Desk)-Vladimir Putin announced a temporary 32-hour ceasefire to mark Orthodox Easter, pausing hostilities over the weekend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv would observe the truce, signaling a rare moment of de-escalation in the prolonged conflict.
The ceasefire, scheduled from Saturday evening until midnight on Sunday, comes amid stalled U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to resolve the four-year war, as well as rising tensions in the Middle East. A similar truce declared last year was marred by mutual accusations of violations.
According to the Kremlin, Russian forces have been ordered to halt all military operations during the period, while remaining prepared to respond to any potential provocations. Ukrainian leadership reiterated its willingness to reciprocate, emphasizing the need for a peaceful Easter and expressing hope that the pause could open the door to broader stability.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency TASS that Putin’s ceasefire proposal had not been discussed in advance with the United States. Nor was it linked to any notion of resuming three-way talks on a settlement.
Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is, meanwhile, now in the US and is meeting members of US President Donald Trump’s administration for discussions on a peace deal and US-Russia economic cooperation, sources with knowledge of the visit told Reuters.
According to the calendar of the Orthodox faith, dominant in both Russia and Ukraine, Easter falls this year on April 12.
Zelenskiy had for more than a week proposed an Easter ceasefire and, citing air attacks on Ukrainian cities, said Moscow had chosen to respond instead with drones. Russia had previously reacted coolly to Zelenskiy’s proposal, saying it preferred to pursue a long-term settlement.
The Ukrainian president has proposed a halt to fighting on a number of occasions, but has been turned down by Moscow.
For Easter, he called for each side to stop targeting the other’s energy infrastructure, saying he made the offer through the United States.
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