Ukraine and Russia will cease fire for the Orthodox Easter holidays, the warring countries’ leaders said on Thursday, announcing a rare 32-hour halt in fighting.
The four-year war previously saw limited and short truces, but Moscow and Kyiv were quick to trade accusations of violations.
With talks on ending the four-year-old conflict derailed by the Middle East war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that he had made a holiday truce proposal through the United States.
In a statement late on Thursday, the Kremlin said that “a ceasefire is declared from 16:00 (13:00 GMT) on April 11 until the end of the day on 12 April 2026” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, “in connection with the approaching Orthodox feast of Easter.” The Kremlin’s statement made no mention of Kyiv’s initial proposal.
Hours later, Zelensky responded that “Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are prepared to take reciprocal measures. We proposed a ceasefire this year during the Easter holidays and will act accordingly.”
“People need an Easter free from threats and real progress toward peace, and Russia has a chance to avoid returning to hostilities after Easter,” he added.
The war has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes, making it Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Over the past few years, fighting on the front has come to a near standstill. Russia has made small territorial gains at a high cost.
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