Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral Easter cease-fire in Ukraine, instructing his forces to halt hostilities from 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday through the end of Sunday.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian drone strikes were ongoing, with air defense units repelling attacks on Saturday—proof, he said, of Moscow’s disregard for Easter and human life.
"Based on humanitarian considerations ... the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I order a stop to all military activities for this period," Putin told his military chief, Valery Gerasimov, at a meeting in the Kremlin.
"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, any aggressive actions," Putin added.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the United States would walk away from efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress soon.
The full-scale war began when Putin ordered thousands of Russian troops across the border into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Putin has said repeatedly that he wants an end to the war. He has demanded that Ukraine officially drop its ambitions to join NATO and withdraw its troops from the entirety of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow.
Kyiv has broadly rejected those terms as tantamount to surrender.
Putin told Gerasimov on Saturday that Russia welcomed efforts from the United States, China and BRICS countries to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had given instructions on the cease-fire to all group commanders in the area of the “special military operation,” the Kremlin’s term for the war.
Russian troops will adhere to the cease-fire provided it is “mutually respected” by Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement.
Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner-of-war swap of 246 prisoners each on Saturday, mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
The Russian POWs are in Belarus, the ministry said, where they were being provided with medical and psychological care.
