On Thursday, April 9, Vladimir Putin declared a ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter weekend in Ukraine. It is set to begin today at 3 p.m. (Paris time) and expire tomorrow evening, Sunday, April 12, at 11 p.m. During a similar temporary ceasefire last year, Zelensky accused the Russian army of violating it 3,000 times.
The Ukrainian president has repeatedly called for a cessation of hostilities during the Easter weekend. On March 30, he stated that Kiev was ready to respect a ceasefire on the ground as well as an energy truce.
Following Putin’s announcement on Thursday, he stated that the Ukrainian army “will act accordingly.” He also mentioned that Russia has the option to refrain from resuming strikes after Easter.
Yesterday, Friday, April 10, Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, revealed that American negotiators were edging closer to a peace agreement with Russia.
According to Budanov, Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to visit Kiev in April for further discussions, potentially including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
Despite this, Zelensky remains skeptical about a resumption of trilateral talks, which have largely ceased since the beginning of the war against Iran over a month ago.
The Kremlin has violated previous ceasefires, not only during last year’s Orthodox Easter but also in March and May regarding strikes on energy facilities, and during celebrations in Moscow commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
According to reports, Moscow has violated more than 25 official ceasefires since 2014. Data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program shows that less than half of conflicts from 1946-2005 resulted in a ceasefire or peace agreement.
In summary, the situation in Ukraine remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue amidst a history of ceasefire violations by Russia.
