Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary, unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, instructing his military to halt all operations from 6 p.m local time on Saturday until the end of Sunday.
The decision, he said, is based on humanitarian considerations.
“I order a stop to all military activities for this period,” Putin told his top military commander, Valery Gerasimov, during a meeting at the Kremlin.
Putin reiterated that while the ceasefire is in place, Russian forces remain ready to respond to any “aggressive actions” from the Ukrainian side.
“We assume that Ukraine will follow our example. At the same time, our troops should be prepared to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations by the enemy,” Putin said, according to BBC.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed the ceasefire in a statement, saying it had instructed all commanders involved in its “special military operation” to suspend combat operations during the truce period.
The ministry emphasised the ceasefire would take effect only if Ukraine reciprocates.
There has been no immediate response from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or his administration.
Zelensky had on Friday, condemned Russian attacks across the country, calling out missile and drone strikes that targeted civilians and infrastructure.
The ceasefire declaration comes amid international efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to broker a broader peace agreement.
Trump, speaking on Friday, expressed frustration over the stalled negotiations, stating the U.S. would “take a pass” on mediating further if either side proves unwilling to compromise.
“We want peace and we want it fast,” Trump told reporters, although he admitted he didn’t expect a resolution “in a specific number of days.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that sentiment, warning the U.S. might step back from peace efforts if no tangible progress is made soon.
While Ukraine has already signaled willingness to accept a U.S.-brokered 30-day ceasefire, Russia was yet to formally agree, instead imposing conditions that have delayed negotiations.
