Topline
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian forces of continuing to fire after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Saturday he would order forces to cease hostilities in Ukraine during the Easter holiday, while also urging Russia to extend the proposed ceasefire beyond the weekend.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for Easter. (Photo by … More
Key Facts
Zelensky accused Putin in a post on X Saturday afternoon of ignoring a U.S.-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal between Russia and Ukraine, which was raised last month, urging Putin to adopt a longer pause to hostilities.
Zelensky claimed Russian forces have not stopped firing since Putin’s ceasefire announcement Saturday, stating “assault operations continue on several frontline sectors” and “Russian artillery fire has not subsided,” adding Ukrainian forces would respond to Russian strikes.
Zelensky slammed Putin’s short-term ceasefire proposal, stating on X: “30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures. Thirty days could give peace a chance.”
Putin said earlier Saturday that Russian forces would begin a temporary ceasefire at 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday.
The Russian ceasefire is a unilateral effort, as Putin said he assumes “the Ukrainian side will follow our example,” adding Russia would be prepared to respond to any provocation by Ukrainian forces.
In Putin’s announcement, he said Ukraine’s compliance with a ceasefire would demonstrate whether the country is serious about a peaceful solution to the war that began in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X minutes after Putin’s announcement Ukraine had detected Russian attack drones in its skies, which Zelensky said shows “Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.”
Tangent
Earlier Saturday, Russia’s defense ministry said it had taken control of the Oleshnya village in Russia’s Kursk region from Ukrainian troops, where Ukraine had launched a surprise offensive last year. In Zelensky’s Saturday post on X, he addressed the Kursk region conflict, stating Ukrainian forces have “continued their activity on the territory of the Kursk region and are holding their positions.”
Has Trump Reacted To The Easter Ceasefire?
President Donald Trump has not yet responded to Putin’s Easter ceasefire announcement. Putin’s announcement comes one day after Trump said talks between Russia and Ukraine are “coming to a head,” as both he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated the United States would move on from trying to broker peace if no agreement is produced soon. “Now, if for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say you’re foolish. You are fools, you horrible people. And we’re going to just take a pass. But hopefully, we won’t have to do that,” Trump said. Rubio said the United States aims to decide within days whether securing peace is possible or not, adding: “It’s not our war. We have other priorities to focus on.”
Key Background
In January 2023, Putin announced Russia would observe a 36-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas, though Ukrainian officials slammed the order as “hypocrisy,” claiming Russia had just wanted a pause to gather resources and ammunition.
Further Reading
Trump says Ukraine-Russia talks ‘coming to a head’ and ‘no one is playing’ him in push to end war (Associated Press)
Russia says it has retaken another village in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces (ABC News)
