Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for the Orthodox Easter period, the Kremlin said Thursday, in a move that follows a similar proposal from Kyiv, reports AFP.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier said he conveyed a holiday ceasefire proposal through the United States, as diplomatic efforts to end the four-year war continue to stall amid broader global tensions.
According to the Kremlin statement, the ceasefire will run from 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on April 11 until the end of April 12, 2026, coinciding with Orthodox Easter celebrations.
Russia’s General Staff has been instructed to suspend combat operations across all front lines during the period, while remaining prepared to respond to any violations, the statement said.
“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” the Kremlin added.
The announcement comes as multiple rounds of US-led negotiations have failed to produce a breakthrough, with diplomacy increasingly overshadowed by other geopolitical crises, including escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Moscow has continued to demand territorial and political concessions that Kyiv has rejected as unacceptable, leaving the talks effectively deadlocked.
The war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties and displaced millions, making it the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
