Putin Orders 30-Hour Easter Truce Amid Ongoing Ukraine War

Post by: Layla Badr

Photo: Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a short break in the fighting in Ukraine. The 30-hour pause is meant to cover Easter Sunday. The truce started at 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday and will end at midnight on Sunday.

During a meeting with his top military leader, Valery Gerasimov, Putin said,
“I’m ordering all combat operations to stop during this time. We hope the Ukrainian side will also stop fighting like us.”

However, he added that Russian troops should be ready to respond if the Ukrainian side breaks the ceasefire or tries to attack.

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But Ukraine doesn’t trust this truce. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected the announcement, saying it’s just another trick by Putin.
“Even as he talks about peace, air raid sirens are going off across the country,” Zelenskiy said on social media platform X.
“He’s sending drones to attack. That shows what he really thinks about Easter and human life.”

US Could Stop Trying to End War

This short truce comes just after the United States warned that it might stop trying to bring peace to Ukraine. A US official said that if there’s no progress toward a proper ceasefire in the next few days, the US might pull back from its efforts.

Russia earlier had an order not to attack Ukraine’s energy system for 30 days, but that order has now ended. The Kremlin has not given any new instructions.

This is not the first time Russia has offered a short break in fighting. It made a similar offer during Orthodox Christmas in 2023, but fighting continued.

Trump Wants Peace Deal Within 100 Days

Former US President Donald Trump is also pushing for a peace deal. He has said he wants to end the war within 100 days of his return to office on January 20, which would be by April 30. According to a report by Bloomberg, the US might even be ready to recognize Crimea as part of Russia if it helps reach a peace agreement.

Putin said he supports Trump’s efforts. He added that this Easter truce will show whether Ukraine truly wants peace.

Ukraine Agrees to US Plan, But Russia Sets Conditions

Ukraine has already agreed to a US proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire without any conditions. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said his country wants peace and has accepted the plan.

But Russia is not ready to agree yet. It wants the West to lift some sanctions and stop sending weapons to Ukraine before agreeing to a longer ceasefire.

In the past few weeks, Russia has carried out deadly missile attacks on civilian areas, including President Zelenskiy’s hometown Kryvih Rih and the city of Sumy in the northeast.

Russian forces are also making slow progress on the battlefield. They now control about 20% of Ukraine. On Saturday, the Russian army said it had taken control of a village called Oleshnya in the Russian region of Kursk, near the border with Ukraine. This means only one village in that area is still held by Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine has not confirmed losing Oleshnya. Back in August, Ukrainian troops had captured parts of the Kursk region in a surprise attack. Now, Russia claims to have taken back 99.5% of that area.

Prisoner Swap Takes Place

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners on Saturday. Each side released 246 prisoners of war. Russia also released 31 injured Ukrainian soldiers in exchange for 15 wounded Russian troops who needed urgent medical help.

This exchange was helped by the United Arab Emirates and is part of ongoing efforts that have already helped thousands of soldiers return home.

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