Ukraine at peace? Putin declares a 48-hour Easter truce in the Russia-Ukraine war
Vladimir Putin announced a temporary pause in the fighting between Russia and Ukraine over the Easter weekend. kyiv reacted with skepticism and has yet to confirm whether it will comply with the measure.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared an "Easter truce" on Saturday in the ongoing war against Ukraine. According to the announcement, all Russian hostilities will halt between 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and midnight on Monday, coinciding with the celebration of Orthodox Easter. Putin expressed his expectation that Ukraine will reciprocate.
The announcement came just hours after Russian forces claimed to have expelled Ukrainian troops from a stronghold in the Kursk region, southwestern Russia. Putin stated that the pause would serve to gauge Kyiv’s real willingness to move toward a broader ceasefire. However, there were no clear signs of Ukrainian acceptance in the first hours following the announcement. Ukraine’s Reaction and the Situation on the Front Lines
Ukraine’s Reaction and the Situation on the Front Lines
The Ukrainian government's response was skeptical. President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a message on the social media platform X, in which he called the truce “another attempt by Putin to play with human lives.” Air raid alerts were activated in Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions shortly after the Russian announcement, while authorities urged the population to remain in shelters.
Ukraine has rejected similar pauses in the past, including a truce proposed by Russia in January 2023, also on the occasion of a religious holiday. According to Kyiv, such temporary ceasefires can be used by Moscow to reposition troops or introduce reinforcements into conflict zones.
Prisoner Exchange and Diplomatic Deadlock
The announcement of the truce coincided with one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. According to official sources, Ukraine recovered 277 soldiers, while Russia received 246 prisoners. An additional exchange of wounded soldiers was also carried out as a "goodwill gesture."
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement remain stalled. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Friday that Washington could withdraw from the negotiations if concrete progress is not seen. Meanwhile, fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, with limited movement on the front lines and clashes in key areas such as Kupyansk and Kurakhove.