Easter truce arrives: Putin orders ceasefire in Ukraine. Prisoner exchange: 246 per country

The announcement 'took everyone by surprise', the senior official added.

The Ukrainian defence ministry later denied reports that Kiev agreed '90 per cent' with Trump's peace plan presented in Paris, as claimed by the New York Post citing US sources. In a statement to Sky News, the Ukrainian ministry said it "does not make political decisions" and therefore cannot make "percentage assessments".

The Russian Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking 10 Russian energy facilities in the last 24 hours. In March, the US brokered a 30-day moratorium between Ukraine and Russia against attacks on each other's energy infrastructure. Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating it. On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked whether the energy moratorium had ended, said that a month had already passed, but that no orders had been received from the president to change Russia's position.

Meanwhile, the US has reportedly drawn up a preliminary plan to monitor the ceasefire in Ukraine when an agreement is reached with Russia. The Wall Street Journal writes this, citing its own source on condition of anonymity and explaining that the draft plan was presented in Paris by US officials to European and Ukrainian officials. The details of the plan have not been disclosed, the WWsj points out. A new meeting between American, European and Ukrainian officials is scheduled to take place in London next week to continue the talks.

Although the details of the monitoring plan drawn up by the US were not disclosed, Ukrainian presidential advisor Andriy Yermak described the Paris meetings as 'very substantial'. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine had been discussed in Paris, but would not speak publicly about any proposals.

Meanwhile, Russia launched eight missiles and 87 drones against Ukraine overnight. This was stated by the Ukrainian Air Force, explaining that damage was caused in five regions of the country. Air defence units shot down 33 Russian drones and another 36 were hijacked by electronic warfare, the Kiev army added.

In addition, according to the Russian Defence Ministry,Moscow repelled Ukrainian forces and recaptured the village of Oleshnya, one of the last remaining Ukrainian support points in the Russian Kursk region. "Units of the military group 'North' liberated the village of Oleshnya, in the Kursk region, during offensive operations," the ministry said in a statement. The Associated Press was unable to immediately verify the communication and there was no immediate response from Ukrainian officials. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Moscow is still fighting to push Ukrainian forces back from the village of Gornal, some 11 kilometres south of Oleshnya. "The Russian army still has to push back the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Gornal ... to completely liberate the Kursk region. Fierce fighting is ongoing in the settlement," Tass reported, citing Russian security agencies.

Russia and Ukraine today, 19 April, will carry out an exchange of nearly 500 prisoners, including 46 wounded soldiers, brokered by the United Arab Emirates, according to a source quoted by Sky News. To coincide with Easter, 246 prisoners will be exchanged equally on each side, the source revealed. The total number of prisoners exchanged through the mediation of the United Arab Emirates now stands at 3,233.

Marco Rubio stated that if it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, the US will have to abandon its efforts and turn the page.

"If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we must turn the page," he told reporters before leaving Paris, as reported by CNN. "It is not our war. We didn't start it. The US has been helping Ukraine for the last three years and we want it to end, but it's not our war," Rubio continued.

The US is committed to seeking a solution to end the war but, explained the secretary of state, "if it is not possible, if we are so far apart, then I think the president will probably have reached the point where he will say that we are finished".And President Trump confirms these words commenting as follows: "If either side acts stupid, we are ready to walk away from the negotiating table. But I hope that won't happen" and adds:"We want to make a deal in Ukraine quickly".

 Rubio then described the talks with Ukrainian representatives in Paris on conflict resolution as "positive". "It is necessary to understand within a few days whether it will be possible to reach an agreement on the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine in the near future," Rubio said, adding that discussions on peace in Ukraine cannot last indefinitely.

The US wants an end to the conflict in Ukraine, the US Secretary of State also reiterated in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

"The Secretary conveyed to his Russian counterpart the same message that the US delegation conveyed to the Ukrainian delegation and to our European allies in Paris: President [Donald] Trump and the United States want this war to end and have now presented to all parties the guidelines for a lasting and durable peace," reads the statement released by the State Department.

"The encouraging reception in Paris of the US framework shows that peace is possible if all parties are committed to reaching an agreement," the note concludes.

The Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq al-Said will visit Moscow on Monday, just days after the start of a round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran, mediated by Muscat.

The sultan will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. Iran and the United States launched a new round of nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday to resolve their decade-long standoff over Tehran's atomic goals, in the shadow of President Donald Trump's threat to unleash military action if diplomacy fails.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian agencies, announced that the moratorium on Russian bombing of Ukrainian energy facilities "has expired".