Moscow, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a surprise unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, ordering a temporary 30-hour halt to military operations, the Kremlin confirmed Saturday.
The truce, set to begin at 4 p.m. Saturday and last until 10 p.m. on Easter Sunday (UK time), was declared “guided by humanitarian considerations,” according to Putin, who made the announcement during a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The Kremlin later shared his remarks on its official Telegram channel.
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“I order that all military actions be stopped for this period,” said Putin, referencing the religious significance of Easter and expressing hope that Ukraine would observe the ceasefire. Despite the gesture, he instructed Russian forces to remain on high alert for any violations.
“Our troops must be prepared to react to possible violations of the ceasefire and provocations by the adversary, to any aggressive actions,” he warned.
Putin accused Ukraine of repeatedly violating a previous 30-day “energy truce,” which began March 18 and was later joined by Kyiv under U.S. mediation, claiming over 100 breaches.
The ceasefire announcement comes amid growing pressure from international powers. Just hours earlier, reports surfaced that former U.S. President Donald Trump had issued a warning that Washington could withdraw from peace efforts unless Russia and Ukraine show progress in ending the conflict.
Putin reiterated Moscow’s openness to peace talks and praised efforts from Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and BRICS nations for advocating a “peaceful and fair resolution to the Ukrainian crisis.”
However, the Russian president has consistently pushed back on calls for broader or prolonged ceasefires, arguing they would give Ukrainian forces time to regroup and receive more weapons from the West.
“This Easter truce will be a litmus test of the Kyiv regime’s sincerity, its commitment to agreements, and its real desire for peace,” Putin said.
Putin, a devout Orthodox Christian, is expected to attend the Easter vigil at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral on Saturday night.
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