Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary Easter truce in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, ordering his forces to “stop all military activity” until the end of Sunday.
Putin said the 30-hour ceasefire would be in effect until 22:00 BST (00:00 Moscow time), urging Russian troops to remain vigilant and ready to respond to “any possible violations.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the move as political posturing. He accused Putin of trying to “play with human lives,” highlighting the detection of Russian drones in Ukrainian airspace just before the truce was meant to begin—calling it a sign of Putin’s “true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.”
“Putin has now made statements about his alleged readiness for a ceasefire. 30 hours instead of 30 days,” Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“We know his words cannot be trusted, and we will look at actions, not words.”
Ukraine had reportedly already agreed to a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, further casting doubt on Moscow’s motives.
Putin made the announcement during a televised meeting with his chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov.
“Based on humanitarian considerations… the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I order a stop to all military activities for this period,” Putin said.
“We assume that Ukraine will follow our example. At the same time, our troops should be prepared to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations by the enemy.”
The Russian defence ministry added that the truce would only hold if Ukraine also respected it.
Not the First Failed Ceasefire Attempt
This is not the first time a short-lived ceasefire has been declared. A similar truce attempt during Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 collapsed when both sides failed to reach a mutual agreement.
Since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia’s war has caused massive casualties. Hundreds of thousands—primarily soldiers—have been killed or injured on both sides.
US Grows Frustrated Over Stalled Peace Talks
The United States has been directly engaged in efforts to end the conflict, but progress has stalled. Last month, Russia rejected a US-backed proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that Washington might “take a pass” on further Ukraine peace talks if no real progress is made soon.
“We need to determine very quickly now — and I’m talking about a matter of days — whether or not this is doable,” Trump said.
“If it’s not going to happen, then we’re just going to move on.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that the US could not continue diplomatic efforts indefinitely, citing “other priorities to focus on.”