Putin orders weekend ceasefire in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in hostilities to observe the holiday. Zelenskyy had earlier in the week proposed that both sides stop targeting each other's energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv. Putin's decree, released by the Kremlin, ordered Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting at 4 pm on Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday. There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to Putin's announcement. Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact. Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it. The Kremlin statement announcing the ceasefire said that "orders have been issued for this period to cease hostilities in all directions," adding that "troops are to be prepared to counter any possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions." Ukraine faces growing pressure as the war continues in its fifth year, while Russia readies a new offensive. "We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation," it said. Russia has effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the US and Ukraine as a step toward peace, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, though Moscow has announced several short, unilateral ceasefires. US-led talks have made no progress on key issues, and Washington's attention has shifted to the Middle East conflict while the Russian and Ukrainian armies remain locked in battle along a roughly 1,250-kilometre front line.