Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin halts attacks after ceasefire with Zelensky ahead of Orthodox Easter – UK Times

President ​Volodymyr Zelensky said early on Friday that Ukraine ⁠would act in accordance with an Easter ceasefire.

“Ukraine has repeatedly ⁠stated ​that ⁠we are ready for reciprocal ⁠steps. We proposed ​a ⁠ceasefire during ‌the Easter holiday this year and will ‌act accordingly,” Zelensky ‌said on Telegram after the Kremlin ⁠ordered troops to observe a 32-hour ceasefire.

“People need an Easter without threats and a real ‌move towards peace, and ​Russia has ‌a ⁠chance not to ⁠return to attacks even ‌after ​Easter.”

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has announced a 32-hour ceasefire over a two-day period for Orthodox Easter and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv ⁠would abide by the measure.

The ceasefire for Orthodox Easter celebrations on Sunday coincides with a pause in US-led efforts to clinch a settlement to the four-year-old conflict amid hostilities in Iran and the broader Middle East.

Putin’s announcement was similar to a 30-hour ceasefire he ordered last year. Each side accused the other of violating ⁠it.

The Kremlin said the Easter ceasefire would be in ​effect from ⁠Saturday at 4pm (1300 GMT) to midnight (2100 GMT) on Sunday evening. “We proceed on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” the ⁠Kremlin announcement said.

The announcement said defence minister Andrei Belousov had issued an order to Russia’s top ​commander, Chief ⁠of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, “to stop ‌for this period military action in all directions”.

“Troops are to be ready to eliminate all possible provocations by the enemy as well as any aggressive actions.”

Zelensky said Ukraine had repeatedly proposed ‌a halt to fighting for Orthodox Easter.

“Ukraine has repeatedly stated that ‌we are ready for reciprocal steps. We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holiday this year and will act accordingly,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

“People need an Easter without threats and a real move towards peace, and Russia has a chance not ⁠to return to attacks even after Easter,” he said.

President ​Volodymyr Zelensky said early on Friday that Ukraine ⁠would act in accordance with an Easter ceasefire.

“Ukraine has repeatedly ⁠stated ​that ⁠we are ready for reciprocal ⁠steps. We proposed ​a ⁠ceasefire during ‌the Easter holiday this year and will ‌act accordingly,” Zelensky ‌said on Telegram after the Kremlin ⁠ordered troops to observe a 32-hour ceasefire.

“People need an Easter without threats and a real ‌move towards peace, and ​Russia has ‌a ⁠chance not to ⁠return to attacks even ‌after ​Easter.”

Russia’s Supreme Court has effectively criminalised the activities of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights group Memorial, the latest step in an unrelenting crackdown on dissent and civil society organisations.

The ruling against the human-rights group followed a closed hearing on a petition from the justice ministry to designate what it called “the Memorial international civic movement” as extremist and ban its activities in Russia.

Memorial said there was no such entity but that the ruling still “would allow the authorities to crack down on any Memorial projects, their participants and supporters”.

One of the oldest and the most renowned Russian human rights organisations, it was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is in the US, meeting ⁠members of President Trump’s administration for discussions on a peace deal for Ukraine and US-Russia economic cooperation, ⁠sources have told Reuters.

The visit comes before the US decision ⁠on whether to extend sanctions relief ​on ⁠Russian oil, which ‌expires on Saturday and could also be on the agenda.

The United ‌States issued a 30-day ‌waiver for countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products currently stranded at ⁠sea, in an attempt to stabilise energy markets roiled by Iran war.