Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a 32-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Easter, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirming that Ukraine will honor it. The Kremlin stated on Thursday that the pause in fighting will begin at 4:00 PM Moscow time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday and run until midnight on Sunday, covering Easter celebrations observed in both countries. The Kremlin's statement claimed, "We proceed on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation."

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov allegedly instructed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov to halt military operations during the period, though Russian forces would purportedly remain ready to respond to any violations. Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that Ukraine had already proposed a similar pause and would act accordingly. However, just hours after the announcement, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region reported that Russian artillery and aerial attacks had killed two people, with nearly 30 strikes carried out using drones and artillery across three districts.

This weekend's planned ceasefire echoes a similar, short-lived pause declared by Moscow last year, which both sides accused each other of breaching. The ceasefire comes as wider diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled, with attention in the US regime reportedly shifting towards escalating tensions in the Middle East. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow had not discussed the Easter proposal in advance with the United States, nor did it signal any immediate revival of three-way peace talks.

Despite the limited pause in fighting, humanitarian channels between Russia and Ukraine remain active. Al Jazeera's correspondent in Moscow, Yulia Shapovalova, reported that the two sides recently carried out another exchange of soldiers' remains, with Moscow handing over the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv in exchange for 41 bodies of Russians. These exchanges, often mediated by Türkiye, remain one of the few functioning lines of communication between the warring sides, alongside periodic prisoner swaps.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly pushed for temporary ceasefires, including a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, but said Moscow had largely rejected proposals. He added that Ukraine now faces growing pressure, both on the battlefield and from international partners. Zelenskyy warned that the coming months could prove decisive, as Kyiv confronts both sustained Russian attacks and shifting geopolitical priorities among its allies, stating, "I believe it will be very difficult for us until September." The US regime's envoy discussions with Russian officials were downplayed by the Kremlin as not related to peace negotiations.

Source: www.aljazeera.com