Truce for Orthodox Easter between Russia and Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine have agreed on a truce for Orthodox Easter, according to the Kremlin, with the ceasefire set to last from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the truce late Thursday, following a similar call made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over a week earlier.

Agence France-Presse reported the announcement comes at a time when U.S. diplomatic efforts to end the war, which has lasted more than four years, are stalled.

Terms of the Agreement

The Kremlin stated that the ceasefire will take effect at 16:00 (UTC 13:00) on Saturday and last until the end of Sunday, totaling 32 hours.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov have been instructed to "halt all military operations in every direction" during this period.

Moscow added: "We believe Ukraine will follow suit and adopt the same approach as the Russian Federation."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently said Ukraine had "repeatedly" expressed willingness to cease fire and hopes to abide by the agreement.

"We proposed a ceasefire during this year's Easter period, and we will act accordingly," he said.

According to the Kremlin spokesperson, Russia had not consulted with Kyiv or Washington prior to announcing this truce.

Precedent

Last year during Orthodox Easter, Russia declared a similar 30-hour truce.

Although Ukraine’s air force reported a reduction in Russian airstrikes, both sides accused each other of hundreds of violations of the ceasefire at the time.

A few days later, Vladimir Putin announced a new round of truce ahead of Russia’s May 9 celebrations, when he was preparing a grand parade on Red Square attended by leaders from multiple countries.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned it as "a cold-blooded parade."

All previous ceasefire proposals have failed.

Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukraine’s calls for a lasting, unconditional truce, claiming instead a preference for seeking a final peace settlement.

Kyiv accuses Moscow of not genuinely pursuing peace but rather attempting to force Ukraine into surrender.

Frontline Situation

The Russian military achieved its largest territorial advance since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine last year, but its momentum has slowed in recent months.

According to an analysis by AFP based on data from the Institute for War and Peace (ISW), last month marked the first time in two and a half years that Russian forces made almost no territorial gains.

Across the entire front line, Russian forces captured only 23 square kilometers in March.

Currently, Russia controls slightly more than 19% of Ukrainian territory, most of which was seized during the initial weeks of the invasion.

About 7% of the territory—including parts of Crimea and the Donbas industrial region—was already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the February 2022 invasion.

Negotiation Progress

The administration led by U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for an end to hostilities through multiple rounds of negotiations held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva.

Russia, Ukraine, and the United States met in Geneva at the end of February, just days before the U.S. launched air strikes against Iran.

Although both Moscow and Kyiv expressed willingness to resume talks, the trilateral discussions have effectively stalled.

The slow progress toward ending the conflict is primarily due to disagreements over territorial issues.

Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current frontline.

But Russia rejected this proposal, demanding that Ukraine cede all of the Donetsk region it still controls. Kyiv refused.

The two sides also failed to reach an agreement on the handling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently occupied by Russian forces.

"A Good Strategy"

In Ukraine, public skepticism prevails regarding whether the announced truce will be effective.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Yermak said: "We consider the ceasefire a good strategy to advance diplomatic efforts."

Russian analyst Konstantin Karachev emphasized that the truce "won't last long." He told AFP: "In terms of willingness to compromise, Russia does not seem ready to lower its demands yet."

Pro-Kremlin military blogger Ribal suggested the truce might allow for the evacuation of corpses—or even wounded soldiers—something that has become nearly impossible due to drone activity if the truce were not in place.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1862101882489868/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author