Temporary Ceasefire Announced In Russia-Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 32-hour ceasefire in the war against Ukraine for Orthodox Easter, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would adhere to.

“The Kremlin said the Easter ceasefire would be in effect from Saturday at 4 p.m. (8 a.m. ET) to midnight (4 p.m. ET) on Sunday evening,” NBC News reports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a 32-hour ceasefire with Ukraine for the Orthodox Easter holiday, following an earlier offer from Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for a pause in hostilities. https://t.co/HbQedBWX0K pic.twitter.com/Hx7zwFQqkF

— CNN (@CNN) April 10, 2026

NBC News has more:

The announcement said Defense Minister Andrei Belousov had issued an order to Russia’s top commander, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, “to stop for this period military action in all directions”.

“Troops are to be ready to eliminate all possible provocations by the enemy as well as any aggressive actions.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had repeatedly proposed a halt to fighting for Orthodox Easter.

“Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready for reciprocal steps. We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holiday this year and will act accordingly,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

“People need an Easter without threats and a real move towards peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to attacks even after Easter.”

“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” the Kremlin stated, according to The Guardian.

“I told our American partners they could understand whether Putin wanted peace by finding answers to the issues as follows: First, try to organize a meeting at the level of leaders to discuss territories. Putin has refused,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

“Second, if he doesn’t want to continue the aggression after a ceasefire, propose deploying American and European soldiers along the contact line. Putin’s response was, ‘No, no foreign soldiers of any kind’. Why? This can only mean he wants to go forward. Third, he has around 17 million square kilometers of land. Yet, he tells Americans, ‘Look, what’s the problem? It’s only about 6,000 square kilometers’. Can you imagine that someone who has millions of square kilometers, 70% of which is underdeveloped and doesn’t have proper infrastructure, is asking for more? Do we really believe that all he needs is an additional 5,800 square kilometers?” he continued.

“This is not his goal. Donbas is a strategic place in Ukraine. Once he has our industrial cities and fortifications in the region, there are only open fields and direct roads to our regional capitals. What I mean is that we understand why he wants Donbas,” he added.

I told our American partners they could understand whether Putin wanted peace by finding answers to the issues as follows:

First, try to organize a meeting at the level of leaders to discuss territories. Putin has refused.

Second, if he doesn't want to continue the aggression…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 10, 2026

The Guardian shared further:

Russia has effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the US and Ukraine as a step towards peace, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, but Moscow has announced several short, unilateral ceasefires.

The US-led talks have made no progress on key issues, and Washington’s attention has switched to the Middle East conflict while the Russian and Ukrainian armies remain locked in battle on the roughly 800-mile (1,250-km) frontline.

How does that sound?