Putin declares 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in some hostilities to mark the holiday.
Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting at 4 p.m. Saturday and lasting through the end of Sunday.
Earlier in the week, Zelenskyy proposed that both sides stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between Moscow and Kyiv as Russia’s invasion enters its fifth year.
Previous ceasefire efforts have largely failed. Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but both sides accused each other of violations.
Russia has also effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the U.S. and Ukraine as a step toward peace, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, though Moscow has announced several short unilateral ceasefires.
U.S.-led talks have made little progress on key issues, while Washington’s focus has shifted to the Middle East as Russian and Ukrainian forces remain locked in fighting along the roughly 800-mile front line.
