Putin declares 30-hour Easter ceasefire in Ukraine

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprising move by ordering his army to suspend combat operations in Ukraine over the Easter holiday weekend. Putin declared a unilateral 30-hour “Easter ceasefire” for “humanitarian reasons” during a meeting with his top military officer, Valery Gerasimov, according to footage released by the Kremlin. The ceasefire was scheduled to begin at 6 pm Moscow time on Saturday and end at midnight on Sunday.

This ceasefire comes shortly after US President Donald Trump threatened to end peacemaking efforts in Ukraine if quick progress was not made. This is the second time Putin has declared a full suspension of hostilities since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago. The first ceasefire was announced to mark the Orthodox Christmas in January 2023, which Ukraine believed was a tactic to halt their advances against Russian forces.

However, minutes after Putin’s announcement, air raid alerts were sounded in various regions across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. Air defenses in Kyiv were activated to intercept incoming missiles and drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed these reports and criticized Putin’s ceasefire, stating that Russian attack drones were detected in Ukrainian skies.

While Kyiv has agreed to Trump’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, Putin has stood firm on his demands for ending the war. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha expressed skepticism about Putin’s commitment to the ceasefire, citing previous instances where his words did not align with his actions.

Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of violating previous ceasefire agreements brokered by the US. Russia has also refused to sign a maritime security agreement in the Black Sea until certain western sanctions are lifted. Putin emphasized that Russian forces should be prepared to respond to any ceasefire violations or provocations by the enemy.

Despite these challenges, Putin thanked Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and Brics nations for their efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. He emphasized that the ceasefire would test Kyiv’s willingness to engage in peace negotiations aimed at addressing the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis.

Putin’s conditions for ending the war include Ukraine surrendering four partially occupied southeastern regions to Russia and scaling back Nato deployments east of the Berlin Wall. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian forces continued to defend their territory in Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions.

Prior to Putin’s ceasefire announcement, Russia and Ukraine conducted a significant exchange of prisoners of war, with 277 Ukrainian troops being released as part of a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. Zelenskyy noted that a total of 4,552 Ukrainian soldiers had been freed from Russian captivity since the start of the invasion.

The situation in Ukraine remains fluid, and both sides are closely monitoring the ceasefire to assess the sincerity of the opposing party. Stay tuned for further updates on this evolving conflict.