Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Saturday that his forces would observe a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons in its battle against Ukraine on Easter Sunday. He said at the Kremlin that he assumed Ukrainian forces also would stop fighting, NBC News reports. Later in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his nation's military would reciprocate and suggested he'd go Russia one better. "If a full ceasefire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond Easter Day on April 20," Zelensky said on Telegram, per the AP. "That will reveal Russia's true intentions, as 30 hours are enough for headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures."
Russia's defense ministry first announced that a prisoner exchange had been completed "as a gesture of goodwill." Details of Saturday's maneuvering:
- Prisoner exchange: Russia said that 246 of its service members were returned and that 31 wounded Ukrainian POWs were traded for 15 wounded Russian soldiers who need urgent medical care. Zelensky said 277 of his country's "warriors" were back home, per the AP. The deal was mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
- The ceasefire proposal: The Kremlin said the pause would last from 6pm Moscow time on Saturday until midnight Sunday to coincide with Easter celebrations. "At the same time, our troops must be ready to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy, any of its aggressive actions," Putin said. Zelensky posted on X that "Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin's true attitude toward Easter and toward human life." Less than an hour before the ceasefire was to take effect, he said, the drones were prompting air raid alerts to sound across Ukraine, per the Washington Post.
- The backdrop: Russia has been widely criticized for an attack last weekend that killed civilians, including children, gathered for Palm Sunday services. President Trump called the strike a mistake, an assessment other nations disagreed with. The Trump administration has said it's losing interest in pursuing a peace deal, and Putin said Saturday that Russia is prepared to talk and welcomes the diplomatic efforts of the US and China.
- Past ceasefires: In 2022, the United Nations proposed an Easter truce that Ukraine agreed to and Russia rejected. Russia proposed a Christmas truce in 2023 that Ukraine turned down, per the Post. James Waterhouse of the BBC describes covering a holiday truce in early 2023: "I was in the front line city of Bakhmut at the time," he writes here. "The artillery fire didn't stop, and his invading troops didn't stop advancing."
This file has been updated with Zelensky agreeing to a 30-hour ceasefire. (More
Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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