Zelensky and Putin Announce 32-Hour Easter Ceasefire

On Friday, both sides, in line with the agreement reached last year in Istanbul, also exchanged the bodies of fallen fighters in action. Meanwhile, Zelensky has not lost hope that, after negotiations with Iran in Islamabad, the White House emissaries, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will travel to Kiev to unblock the peace process in Ukraine. Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire and respond in exactly the same way. However, he added that the troops would be 'prepared to counter any possible provocation or aggressive action by the enemy'. 'We proceed from the assumption that Ukraine will follow the example of the Russian Federation,' he concluded. Soldiers of the Armed Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Service. The absence of Russian attacks by land, sea, and air will mean there will be no response from our side,' Zelensky added on Saturday in his social networks. He explained that he had discussed with the Chief of the General Staff, Oleksander Syrskyi, the parameters of the Ukrainian response to potential enemy violations of the ceasefire and added that information about the 'symmetrical nature' of these possible retaliatory measures has been communicated to the Russian side. Putin has always refused to accept 30-day truces, as demanded by Zelensky, the Europeans, and also US President Donald Trump, until the latter changed his mind after the summit with Putin in Alaska. No signs of extension At the same time, Zelensky proposed to extend the pause in combat for more than two days, arguing that 'a ceasefire for Easter could become the beginning of a real move towards peace'. However, the Kremlin dashed any hope of an extension beyond Sunday by stating that the truce applies exclusively to Orthodox Easter and has a 'humanitarian character' as it is a sacred holiday for both Russians and Ukrainians. 'As we have said repeatedly and as President Putin has stated, we do not want a ceasefire, we want peace: a lasting and sustainable peace,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated in his latest daily telephone press conference. This ceasefire must not allow 'the Ukrainian side in any way to take advantage of it to gain a military advantage, regroup, or undertake actions that could alter its military position,' stated, in turn, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry for Ukraine, Rodion Miroshnik. Gestures, but no progress towards peace In addition to the ceasefire, Russia and Ukraine announced on Saturday the exchange of 350 prisoners of war, 175 from each side, with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates. 'Our soldiers are coming home. In the first three years, there was only one cessation of hostilities at Christmas 2023, while last year there was a truce at Easter and another in May on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany in World War II'. Putin declares a unilateral ceasefire As happened a year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin initially ignored the initiative of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who insisted on declaring a ceasefire this weekend so that the faithful could attend religious services without risk. The Kremlin remained silent until Thursday evening, when it unilaterally announced that 'a ceasefire is declared from 16:00 (13:00 GMT) on April 11 until the end of April 12, 2026'. The note emphasized that the Russian military command had been instructed to cease hostilities on all fronts during those 32 hours. Rank-and-file soldiers, sergeants, and officers. And seven civilians,' noted Zelensky. In the case of Russian fighters, as on previous occasions, they are on the territory of Belarus, where they receive medical and psychological assistance, according to Moscow. In addition, the Russian military note adds, Kiev returned seven civilians from the Russian border region of Kursk, which has been partially occupied by the Ukrainian army for less than a year. The cannons fell silent for the first time in nearly a year on Saturday in the war between Russians and Ukrainians on the occasion of Orthodox Easter, the most important religious holiday in both countries. It will be nothing more than 32 hours of ceasefire—expires at midnight on Holy Saturday—especially since the US-mediated peace negotiations have been stalled for two months due to the war in Iran. This is the fourth ceasefire between the two sides since February 2022. Hours later, Zelensky seconded the ceasefire. 'We all know who we are dealing with. 175 military personnel.'