Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a surprise 30-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Easter weekend, but Kyiv reported continued artillery fire and dismissed the gesture as insincere.
The temporary truce, which began at 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday and was set to last until midnight Sunday, was framed as a humanitarian move. “Based on humanitarian considerations … the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I order a stop to all military activities for this period,” Putin told Russia’s military chief in a televised meeting.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Moscow of hypocrisy, pointing out that Russia had previously rejected a broader, US-brokered ceasefire proposal last month. He urged for a genuine and extended halt to hostilities, saying Russia “could not be trusted.”
The announcement came shortly after the US warned it may pull out of ongoing peace talks if both sides do not demonstrate a serious commitment to negotiations.