Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday declared an Easter ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, starting tonight until midnight on Sunday.
"Today until midnight on Sunday, the Russian side declares an Easter ceasefire," Putin said in a televised comment as he spoke with the chief of the Russian military's general staff, Valery Gerasimov. "I order all military actions to be stopped for this period."
Putin added that he expects the Ukrainian side to do the same.
"At the same time, our troops must be prepared to respond in the event of possible ceasefire violations and provocations by enemies," he added.
In addition to announcing a 30-hour Easter ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also accused Ukraine of failing to respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement on energy infrastructure, the BBC reports.
"We know that the Kiev regime has violated the agreement not to attack energy infrastructure more than 100 times," Putin said.
Both sides agreed in late March to halt attacks on critical energy infrastructure for a 30-day period. Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of ignoring the agreement on numerous occasions.
Zelensky says Russia is not stopping attacks despite 'Easter ceasefire'
Photo: Associated Press
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia is continuing military attacks in Ukraine, despite declaring an "Easter ceasefire".
"As we speak, according to reports from the General Staff, Russian offensive military operations are continuing in some sectors of the front and Russian artillery has not stopped," he wrote late Saturday evening in "X." "Therefore, one should not trust the words coming from Moscow."
He reiterated that Russia rejected the US proposal for a 30-day general ceasefire last month.
Zelensky added that if Moscow were to accept an unconditional ceasefire, Ukraine would propose extending it beyond April 20.
Ukraine on ceasefire: Putin cannot be trusted
Photo: Associated Press
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Kiev remains committed to the 30-day ceasefire. In an article in X, he called on states to remain vigilant and ensure that Russian forces maintain the ceasefire.
"Putin has already made statements about his alleged readiness for a ceasefire. 30 hours instead of 30 days. Unfortunately, we have a long history of his statements not matching his actions. We know that his words cannot be trusted and we are expecting actions, not words," he wrote.
He added that Russia has had a proposal for a complete and unconditional 30-day ceasefire on the table since March.
"We want Russian forces to stop firing in all directions. We also call on all our partners and the international community to be vigilant. Only actions, not words, tell the truth: This war was started and continues only because of Russia," Sybiha continued.
