Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared an Easter truce in the conflict in Ukraine that will begin this evening and continue through midnight Sunday. The temporary truce proposal comes as President Donald Trump continues to press Moscow and Kyiv to come to a cessation of hostilities, though significant concessions by the Kremlin are not yet forthcoming.
In a press conference with Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov on televised comments, Putin announced, “Today from 1800 (1500 GMT) until midnight Sunday (2100 GMT Sunday), the Russian side declares an Easter truce.” He emphasized that this time, during Easter celebrations, is crucial since Easter is a significant festival for Christians.
“I order that during this period all military activities stop,” Putin declared, referring to the ceasefire as “based on humanitarian considerations.” He hoped Ukraine would reciprocate, noting that Russian troops must be vigilant to prevent any potential violations or hostile actions on the other side.
Putin noted that Gerasimov had already told him that Ukraine had “more than 100 times. violated a commitment not to strike energy infrastructure.” Following exchange of allegations of violations, Russia recently terminated a moratorium on strikes at Ukrainian energy installations.
This fresh truce proposal is meant to prove the sincerity of Kyiv’s intentions to abide by agreements and negotiate peace. Putin stated that the outcome would indicate the willingness of the Ukrainian leadership to conduct a serious negotiation.
Previous attempts at establishing ceasefires on Easter in April 2022 and Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 failed, as both sides failed to agree.
