Russia’s Putin declares Easter ceasefire in Ukraine conflict

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Unilateral cessation of hostilities to begin on Saturday at 6pm local time and run until midnight on April 21, the Kremlin says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced unilateral Easter truce in the war in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. Ukraine has not responded so far.

“Today from 1800 (15:00 GMT) to midnight Sunday (21:00 GMT Sunday), the Russian side announces an Easter truce,” Putin said in televised comments Saturday, while speaking to Russian chief of staff Valery Gerasimov.

Putin said he assumed Ukraine would follow Russia’s example and said Kyiv’s actions during the ceasefire will will show its readiness for a peaceful settlement.

But the Russian President also told Gerasimov, to ready troops to repel any violations of the truce by Ukraine.

The Russian Defence Ministry posted on Telegram: “The ceasefire regime is being introduced for humanitarian purposes and will be observed by the Russian Joint Group of Troops (Forces), provided that it is mutually observed by the Kyiv regime.”

Last month, Putin agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure targets in Ukraine for 30 days after a phone call with US President Donald Trump.

But both sides have cited numerous instances in which attacks have continued.

But he stopped short of accepting a broader US-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has said it is ready to implement.

According to Russian media reports, on Saturday, Putin accused Ukraine of violating the truce on strikes on energy infrastructure more than 100 times but highlighted that the situation on the frontline has been favourable to Russia so far.

He also said that Moscow “has always been ready for negotiations” and welcomed the US, China and other countries efforts on ensuring a fair settlement on Ukraine.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies