Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a halt to some hostilities to mark the holiday.
Putin’s order issued by the Kremlin orders the Russian military to observe a ceasefire starting at 4 pm on Saturday and ending at 4 pm on Sunday.
Zelensky proposed in the first week Each side stopped targeting the other’s energy infrastructure over the holidays, saying it had put the proposal through the United States, which has been mediation talks Between the delegations of Moscow and Kyiv Russian invasion Extends to the fifth year.
There was no immediate reaction from Kiev on Putin’s announcement.
previous attempts This has had little or no effect on securing a ceasefire. Putin declared unilaterally A 30-hour ceasefire was reached last Easter, but each side accuses the other of breaking it.
The Kremlin’s statement announcing the ceasefire said “orders have been issued to stop hostilities in all directions for this period,” adding that “the troops will be ready to counter any possible provocation by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions.”
“We believe that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” it said.
Russia has effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional cease-fire proposed last year by the US and Ukraine as a step toward peace, pushing for a broader agreement instead, but Moscow has announced several smaller, unilateral ceasefires.
U.S.-led talks have made no progress on key issues, and Washington’s focus has turned to the Middle East conflict, while Russian and Ukrainian forces are locked in fighting along a front line spanning about 1,250 kilometers (800 miles).
