MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, ordering his forces to end hostilities at 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday until the end of Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian air defence units were repelling an attack by Russian drones on Saturday, saying that showed true Moscow's attitude to Easter and the lives of people. "Based on humanitarian considerations ... the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I order a stop to all military activities for this period," Putin told his military chief, Valery Gerasimov, at a meeting in the Kremlin. "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, any aggressive actions," Putin added.
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said on Friday the United States would walk away from efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress soon. The full-scale war began when Putin ordered thousands of Russian troops across the border into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Putin has said repeatedly that he wants an end to the war. He has demanded that Ukraine must officially drop its ambitions to join NATO and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow. Kyiv has broadly rejected those terms as tantamount to surrender.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defence Ministry accused Ukraine on Saturday of attacking Russian energy facilities 10 times over the past 24 hours. The US brokered a 30-day moratorium in March between Ukraine and Russia against strikes on each other's energy infrastructure. Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violating it. On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked if the energy moratorium was over, said it had already been a month but that no orders from the president had been received to change Russia's position.
Over the past few weeks, Trump officials have acknowledged privately that the chances of a quick peace deal in Ukraine have grown elusive. Rubio's comments, three European diplomats said, reflected growing frustration in the White House over Russian intransigence to end the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said some progress on a peace settlement had already been made but that contacts with Washington were difficult. He said Russia was striving to resolve the conflict while ensuring its own interests. Moscow remained open to dialogue with the United States, he added.
US officials were also frustrated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's comment this week that Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was "spreading Russian narratives," and said that was not helpful to the process, one US official said. The talks in Paris on Thursday were the first substantive, high-level and in-person talks on Trump's peace push that have included European powers. Rubio said a US peace framework he presented received an "encouraging reception." Zelenskiy's office called the talks constructive and positive.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking in Rome as he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said he was optimistic the United States could help end this "very brutal war". A US official said the sides would re-engage in London next week, giving Ukraine time to agree fully to a "term sheet" presented by Washington. Kyiv was ready for a comprehensive ceasefire over sea, land and air for at least 30 days or longer, the official said.
Trump promised during his election campaign to end the war in Ukraine within his first 24 hours in the White House. He moderated that claim on taking office, suggesting a deal by April or May as obstacles mounted. A source familiar with internal deliberations said Trump had made clear to his team he was questioning whether it was worthwhile sticking with the talks to break the impasse. The first US official said Rubio's comments were reflecting Trump's frustration with the issue and a concern that this will soon be "Trump's war." If Washington walks away, efforts to broker a peace would likely founder because no other nation is able to bring similar pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv. — Reuters
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