Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Kremlin forces of violating a 30-hour Easter Sunday truce declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and reiterated his proposal to increase the ceasefire for one more month.
Russia’s protection ministry responded that Ukraine wasn’t adhering to the short-term truce, and had shelled Russian positions a whole lot of instances since Saturday evening. Neither facet’s claims could possibly be verified.
Posting on social media, Zelenskiy mentioned Russia was attempting to create “the final impression of a ceasefire” and producing “favorable PR protection.”
He cited 59 instances of shelling and 5 assault actions by Russian items in numerous frontline areas on Sunday morning, primarily based on an early-morning report from Armed Forces commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. In an replace, Zelenskiy mentioned there’d been a rise in shelling and using kamikaze drones within the late-morning hours.
Essentially the most lively operations have been within the neighborhood of Pokrovsk and Siversk in Ukraine’s east, the place Kremlin forces proceed to make use of heavy weaponry, he mentioned.
A brand new report by Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi on the frontline as of 12:00 p.m. on Easter Day.
Regardless of Ukraine declaring a symmetrical method to Russian actions, a rise in Russian shelling and using kamikaze drones has been noticed since 10:00 a.m. – with FPV drone…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2025Nonetheless, neither facet reported any of the type of missile assaults or large-scale drone swarms which have taken place often within the warfare, which is now nicely into its fourth 12 months.
“Our troopers in every single place reply in the best way the enemy deserves in particular fight circumstances,” Zelenskiy mentioned in his put up. “Ukraine will proceed to reflect Russian actions.”
Putin ordered the pause in hostilities, lasting little greater than a day, throughout a televised assembly on Saturday with the army’s chief of the final employees, Valery Gerasimov. The truce is because of finish at midnight Moscow time.
Zelenskiy dismissed the pronouncement as “yet one more try by Putin to play with human lives.” Even because the Russian chief spoke, air raid alerts have been spreading throughout Ukraine, with assault drones detected within the skies, he mentioned on X.
Learn extra: Trump Says US to ‘Take a Move’ If Russia or Ukraine Balk on Deal
“If a whole ceasefire really takes maintain, Ukraine proposes extending it past the Easter day of April 20,” he wrote. “That’s what will reveal Russia’s true intentions — as a result of 30 hours is sufficient to make headlines, however not for real confidence-building measures. Thirty days may give peace an opportunity.”
Putin’s transfer got here a day after the US warned that it might quickly abandon efforts led by President Donald Trump to finish the warfare in Ukraine if there isn’t significant progress towards a ceasefire.
Trump, who on the marketing campaign path vowed that he may shortly finish the warfare, has expressed rising frustration with the tempo of negotiations with Putin. Nonetheless, he’s proven willpower to get a deal achieved inside 100 days of his Jan. 20 inauguration, which falls on April 30.
Learn extra: US Is Open to Recognizing Crimea as Russian in Ukraine Deal
The US is open to recognizing Crimea – which Russia has occupied since 2014 — as a part of Russia below a peace settlement with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing folks acquainted with the matter. A US framework offered to allies on Thursday included easing sanctions on Moscow within the occasion of an enduring ceasefire.
Ukrainian Overseas Minister Andrii Sybiha on Saturday mentioned his nation has already agreed “unconditionally” to the US proposal for a “full interim ceasefire for 30 days.” In distinction, Russia has “imposed numerous circumstances and elevated terror towards Ukraine, civilians, and civilian infrastructure all through the nation,” Sybiha mentioned on X.
Ukraine’s place stays clear and constant: again in Jeddah on March 11, we agreed unconditionally to the U.S. proposal of a full interim ceasefire for 30 days.
Russia refused, and the Russian refusal to america has already lasted 39 days. As an alternative, the Moscow…
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 19, 2025Russia has tied its settlement to a cessation of hostilities to sanctions reduction and a suspension of arms deliveries to Ukraine, amongst different issues.
The previous few weeks have seen a pair of particularly lethal Russian missile assaults on civilian targets in Ukraine, together with on Kryvih Rih, Zelenskiy’s residence city, and the northeastern metropolis of Sumy.
On the similar time, Russian troops, which management about 20% of Ukraine, proceed to inch ahead on the battlefield. Moscow mentioned Saturday it ejected Ukrainian forces from a village within the Russian area of Kursk; Gerasimov mentioned Saturday that Russia has recovered 99.5% of territory that Kyiv’s troops at one level held in Kursk.
In the meantime, Russia and Ukraine every swapped 246 prisoners of warfare every on Saturday, and Russia additionally let loose 31 wounded Ukrainian troopers in return for 15 Russian troops needing pressing medical care, in keeping with Russia’s protection ministry. The alternate, brokered by the United Arab Emirates, was the most recent such deal that’s seen a number of thousand troopers launched.
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
