Russian President Putin announces ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday, April 9, a ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter – Saturday and Sunday – which his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said he had accepted, while reminding that Kiev had previously proposed such a truce.
“By decision of the supreme commander, (…) V. Putin, in connection with the upcoming Orthodox Easter (the Resurrection of Christ), a ceasefire is set to start at 16:00 (14:00 French time) on April 11 until the end of the day on April 12, 2026,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The general staff “has been instructed to cease all combat operations in all directions during this period,” it added, warning that the troops remained ready to “counter any possible enemy provocation.” “We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” the Kremlin said.
“We will act accordingly”
The Ukrainian head of state shortly after indicated that his country was ready to respect this pause in hostilities during Orthodox Easter. “Ukraine has repeatedly made it clear that we are ready to take reciprocal measures. We proposed a ceasefire this year during Easter and we will act accordingly,” assured Volodymyr Zelensky on social media.
Earlier this week, he had indeed stated that he had sent a ceasefire proposal for Easter through the United States, while discussions to end the four-year conflict had derailed due to the war in the Middle East.
Several rounds of negotiations under the auspices of the United States have failed to bring the warring parties closer to an agreement, with the process getting more bogged down as Washington’s attention shifted to Iran. Moscow demands territorial and political concessions from Kiev that Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected, likening them to a surrender.
The war has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, making it the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Millions of others have been displaced.
