The Kremlin announced Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a temporary Easter ceasefire in the conflict with Ukraine.

The war, which has been ongoing for over three years, has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties on both sides.

In a video released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Putin stated, “Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 18:00 to 00:00 from Sunday to Monday, the Russian side declares an Easter truce.”

“I order that all military actions be stopped for this period,” he added.

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov was present alongside Putin in the video.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to dismiss the announcement, stating shortly after that air raid sirens were sounding across Ukraine.

“As for yet another attempt by Putin to play with human lives—at this moment, air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine,” Zelenskyy posted on X, also providing an update on troop deployments. It was unclear if his statement was specifically in response to the ceasefire declaration.

“At 17:15, Russian attack drones were detected in our skies. Ukrainian air defense and aviation have already begun working to protect us. Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.”

Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian troops were engaged in combat in the Kursk region and maintaining their positions.

“In the Belgorod region, our warriors have advanced and expanded our zone of control,” he wrote.

However, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its forces had dislodged Ukrainian troops from one of their last remaining positions in Russia’s Kursk region, where they launched a surprise incursion the previous year.

The temporary ceasefire comes after reports surfaced on Thursday that a minerals agreement was expected to be signed with Ukraine within a week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later clarified that the signing would likely occur on April 26.

Details of the agreement are still limited, but recent reports suggest that the U.S. has lowered its demand for repayment of aid to Ukraine from $300 billion to $100 billion.

On Friday, former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. would “just take a pass” on peace efforts for Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to agree to ceasefire terms.

“If for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say ‘you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people,’ and we’re going to just take a pass,” Trump told reporters. “But hopefully we won’t have to do that.”

’ Caitlin McFall and  

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