Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire over Orthodox Easter — a temporary truce that the Kremlin says will begin on Saturday afternoon and end on Sunday night.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the ceasefire late Thursday, more than a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first called for a truce over Easter.
The announcement comes amid a lull in US-led diplomatic efforts to end the four-year war.
Here’s what we know about the proposal, and the current state of peace talks:
What’s Been Agreed
The Kremlin said the ceasefire would be in effect from 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday, a 32-hour period.
Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and army chief Valery Gerasimov have been instructed to “cease hostilities in all directions during this period,” the Kremlin said.
“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the Russian Federation’s example,” the Kremlin added, calling it a “humanitarian” pause.
Zelensky said shortly after that Ukraine had “repeatedly stated” it was ready for a ceasefire over Easter, and was willing to reciprocate.
“We proposed a ceasefire for the Easter holidays this year and will act accordingly,” he said.
The Kremlin’s spokesman denied Russia had discussed the ceasefire with Ukraine or the United States in advance.
Previous Truces
Russia announced a similar, 30-hour truce with Ukraine over Orthodox Easter last year.
Both sides accused each other of violating it hundreds of times, although the Ukrainian air force reported a lull in Russian air raids during the truce.
Several days later Putin declared another truce, this time over Russia’s May 9 holiday, when he was due to host world leaders including China’s Xi Jinping for a grand military parade on Red Square.
Zelensky described the proposal as “cynicism of the highest order”, saying Ukraine had no intention of creating a “pleasant atmosphere” for the occasion.
Previous proposals for truces failed to materialise.
Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukraine’s calls for a long-term, unconditional ceasefire, saying it is instead pushing for a final peace settlement.
Ukraine says Moscow is not genuinely interested in peace and wants Kyiv to capitulate.
