Apr 19, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he has ordered his army to halt attacks on Ukraine during Easter for humanitarian reasons.
According to Putin's announcement, the ceasefire will last until Sunday at midnight. He also added that he hopes Ukraine will follow his example and also suspend fire during the Christian holiday.
Putin's announcement came during a conversation with Russian army commander Valery Gerasimov, which was broadcast on Russian state television. "We will assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example. Kyiv's response will shed light on its willingness and ability to participate in negotiations to end the war."
The Kremlin also drew the attention of the administration in Washington to Putin's announcement. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy for talks in Washington about ending the war in Ukraine, tweeted the news of the ceasefire and added a dove emoji and the caption "One step closer to peace."
Ukraine responded with skepticism to Putin's announcement, pointing out that the announcement was made simultaneously with alerts about an airstrike across the capital Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not announce whether Ukraine would also cease fire, but in a post he published on social media, Zelensky wrote that "this is Mr. Putin's next attempt to play with people's lives. Ukrainian air defense has already begun operating to protect itself. The Russian drones in our skies are Putin's true attitude towards Easter and people's lives."
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SOURCE: Israel National News