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Putin orders an Easter truce: Kiev complies, but Russian weapons are not silent

The Kremlin announces a ceasefire for just over 24 hours. Zelensky replies cautiously: ‘Thirty hours is not enough, we need thirty days’

Moscow, 20 April – Vladimir Putin has announced a unilateral Easter truce, ordering Russian forces to temporarily halt hostilities until midnight today, in an attempt to send a message more symbolic than strategic to Donald Trump and the world. The decision, communicated in a roughly 90-second video at the end of a meeting with Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov, was motivated by ‘humanitarian considerations’.

Putin directly ordered the halt to operations, while emphasising that the troops would remain ready to ‘respond to any provocations’. The move, however, did not convince Volodymyr Zelensky, who said: ‘Thirty hours are enough to win headlines, not to build confidence. Thirty days would give peace a real chance’.

A truce that does not stop the arms
Despite the announcement, the fighting has not stopped completely. Artillery fire and drone attacks were reported in Kharkiv, while in Donetsk the situation was unusually calm. Zelensky accused Moscow of continuing attacks from the truce-excluded Belgorod and Kursk regions, saying Ukrainian forces will respond ‘in a specular manner’.

Trump observes, but does not expose himself
The Russian announcement comes just hours after a message from US President Donald Trump, who urged both sides to come to an understanding quickly, threatening to walk away if a compromise is not reached. ‘If either side makes peace impossible, we will tell them they are fools and we will leave,’ he said.

The Easter ceasefire, although limited and far from decisive, offers the Kremlin an opportunity to accredit itself as an interlocutor willing to engage in dialogue, at least diplomatically. For Kiev, however, it remains only a propaganda test.

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