Russian President Vladimir Putin has said it will pause military operations in its war in Ukraine through the end of Sunday for an “Easter truce.”
The pause will go from 6 p.m. local time Saturday until 12 a.m. on Monday, according to Putin.
The Russian president said Ukraine’s reaction to the pause would determine how to proceed with ceasefire talks.
“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example,” Putin said, per CNN.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it would implement the pause by ceasing combat operations beginning at 6 p.m. Moscow time, or 11 a.m. in Washington, D.C., but that it would be contingent on Ukraine also respecting the temporary truce.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Russia’s announcement in a post on X by pointing out drone attacks conducted by Russia at 5:15 p.m. local time, ahead of the announced start of the truce.
I have just received a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 19, 2025
Today, our forces continued their activity on the territory of the Kursk region and are holding their positions. In the Belgorod region, our warriors have advanced and expanded our zone of control.
As for…
“As for yet another attempt by Putin to play with human lives—at this moment, air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine. 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,” Zelensky said.
Separately, Russia and Ukraine both said they had swapped hundreds of prisoners, the largest exchange since Russia’s full-scale invasion was launched more than three years ago.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said 246 Russian service members were returned from territory controlled by Kyiv. Zelensky said 277 Ukrainian “warriors have returned home from Russian captivity.”
Our people are home—one of the best pieces of news that can be. Another 277 warriors have returned home from Russian captivity.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 19, 2025
The warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, and the border guards. They defended… pic.twitter.com/bm4OF80o7o
In addition, the Russian defense ministry said 31 wounded Ukrainian prisoners of war were transferred in exchange for 15 wounded Russian soldiers in need of urgent medical attention
Russia’s announced pause in fighting comes as talks toward a peace deal to end the war have stalled.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Friday that if there was not tangible progress on peace discussion between Ukraine and Russia in the coming days, the U.S. may “move on.”
TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE TALKS ‘COMING TO A HEAD,’ DENIES PUTIN IS ‘PLAYING’ HIM
U.S. President Donald Trump denied claims by Zelensky that he was being “played” by Putin in peace talks and was optimistic about a deal to end the war.
“Nobody’s playing anybody. We are going to see if we can get it done,” Trump said Friday afternoon. “I think we have a really good chance of getting it done, and it’s coming to a head right now.”
