Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Russian military forces will halt operations in Ukraine for 32 hours during the Orthodox Easter holiday weekend, responding to an earlier request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to pause some fighting during the religious observance.
The Russian leader’s order, issued through the Kremlin, directs all forces to stop combat activities beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday through the end of Sunday.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy had suggested both nations refrain from attacking energy infrastructure during the holiday period, making his proposal through United States mediators who have been facilitating discussions between Moscow and Kyiv representatives as the invasion enters its fifth year.
Ukrainian officials had not responded publicly to Putin’s ceasefire declaration as of Thursday evening.
Past ceasefire attempts have yielded minimal results. Putin announced a similar 30-hour pause last Easter, though both nations later blamed each other for violating the temporary truce.
The official Kremlin announcement stated that “orders have been issued for this period to cease hostilities in all directions,” while noting that “troops are to be prepared to counter any possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions.”
“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” the statement added.
Moscow has turned down a 30-day unconditional ceasefire that the United States and Ukraine proposed last year as a pathway to peace negotiations, demanding instead a complete resolution agreement while continuing to announce brief, one-sided truces.
The American-facilitated discussions have stalled on major issues, with Washington’s focus shifting toward Middle Eastern conflicts as Russian and Ukrainian forces continue fighting along an approximately 800-mile battle line.
