Putin declares ceasefire for Orthodox Easter. Zelensky: 'We will respect it'
The cessation of hostilities will come into effect for the Russian armed forces from 15:00 Italian time on Saturday 11 to midnight on Sunday 12, the Kremlin announced
Vladimir Putin announced a two-day ceasefire on the occasion of the Orthodox Easter. The cessation of hostilities will come into effect for the Russian armed forces from 3pm Italian time on Saturday 11 to midnight on Sunday 12, the Kremlin announced, adding that it expects Kiev to follow suit. "Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready for symmetrical steps. We have proposed a truce during this year's Easter holidays and we will act accordingly. People need an Easter free of threats and a real movement towards peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to striking after Easter." Volodymyr Zelensky made this known on X after the Kremlin's announcement of an Orthodox Easter ceasefire.
The news of the Easter truce is a sign of détente, at a stage when trilateral talks between Washington, Kiev and Moscow are expected to resume soon. This, at least, is the assessment of Zelensky, who iin an interview with RAI also calls on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to make her 'important' voice heard in order to get the EU's 90 billion aid package for Kiev unblocked.
The Kremlin had so far been lukewarm on the idea of a truce. At the end of March, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said that Zelensky should strive for a lasting peace rather than propose a short-lived Easter ceasefire. According to Moscow, in fact, a ceasefire could have led Kiev to reorganise its forces with a view to further war activities. In the end, however, the Russian leader decided to opt for a ceasefire, albeit a minimal one. And it was the second positive sign in a few hours, after a new exchange of bodies of fallen soldiers. Moscow handed over 1,000 in exchange for the return of 41 bodies, a Russian parliamentary source told Rbk.
In an interview broadcast by Gr1, Zelensky said that "the US was more focused on the Middle East" until the ceasefire declared on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. "That's why," he added, "the three-way negotiations with Russia have been postponed. But we will restart."
The issues that will be examined first, the Ukrainian leader emphasised at a conference of local and regional authorities, will be certain aspects related to security guarantees. Among other things, how to finance the Ukrainian army after the end of the war and how to obtain air defence systems, which are important for both European and Middle Eastern countries. But 'the most difficult issue,' he said, 'is the reaction of the United States of America to a new aggression by Russia, should it occur'.
