Moscow [Russia], April 20: Russian President Vladimir Putin has unilaterally declared a ceasefire in Ukraine over Easter, the Kremlin's press service said on Saturday.
Earlier, Putin met Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov to be briefed on the situation at the front. The Ministry of Defence in Moscow stated that the ceasefire would be observed by Russian troops on the condition that Ukrainian forces also adhered to it.
"During the meeting at the Kremlin, the commander-in-chief heard a report from Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff of the Russian Armed Forces, about the situation at the contact line and announced that the Russian side would cease all hostilities from 1800 [1500 GMT] on April 19 until 0000 [2100 GMT] on April 21," the Kremlin said.
At the same time, Putin wished all Russian fighters on the fronts in Ukraine a happy Easter. The ceasefire covers Easter Sunday, the height of the Christian calendar, which falls on Sunday this year for all Orthodox and Western Christians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed scepticism about the unexpected Easter ceasefire announcement.
"As for Putin's new attempt to play with human lives, air-raid sirens are currently sounding in many parts of Ukraine," Zelensky wrote on the platform X.
Russian combat drones were reportedly sighted in the sky over Ukraine 45 minutes before the ceasefire was due to take effect. Ukraine's air defence had already opened fire.
"Shahed drones in our sky expose Putin's true attitude towards Easter and human lives," Zelensky criticized.
The president initially did not provide any information on whether Ukraine would also cease fire over Easter.
The Ministry of Defence in Moscow stated that the ceasefire was introduced for humanitarian reasons, but the background to the decision was initially unclear.
Recently, Washington had increased pressure on the warring parties to agree to the early commencement of peace talks.Ukrainian President Zelensky expresses scepticism about unexpected ceasefire announcement
Source: Qatar Tribune
