Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has declared a brief Easter cease-fire in Ukraine that will last until midnight Sunday.
“On humanitarian grounds, today from 6pm to midnight Sunday, the Russian side announces an Easter truce," Putin said in a televised statement.The war has been on for more than three years. This has led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives from both countries.
Putin said that he assumed Ukraine would follow Russia’s example and that Kyiv’s actions during the ceasefire would show its readiness for a peaceful settlement.
"We assume that Ukraine will follow our example. At the same time, our troops should be prepared to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations by the enemy, any aggressive actions,” said President Putin.The Russian Ministry of Defence posted on Telegram:
“The ceasefire regime is being introduced for humanitarian purposes and will be observed by the Russian Joint Group of Troops, provided that it is mutually observed by the Kyiv regime”.
