Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire over Orthodox Easter — a temporary truce that the Kremlin says will begin on Saturday afternoon and end on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the ceasefire late Thursday, more than a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first called for a truce over Easter.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes amid a lull in US-led diplomatic efforts to end the four-year war.<\/p>\n
Here’s what we know about the proposal, and the current state of peace talks:<\/p>\n
– What’s been agreed? –<\/p>\n
The Kremlin said the ceasefire would be in effect from 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday, a 32-hour period.<\/p>\n
Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and army chief Valery Gerasimov have been instructed to “cease hostilities in all directions during this period,” the Kremlin said.<\/p>\n
“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the Russian Federation’s example,” the Kremlin added.<\/p>\n
Zelensky said shortly after that Ukraine had “repeatedly stated” it was ready for a ceasefire over Easter, and was willing to reciprocate.<\/p>\n
“We proposed a ceasefire for the Easter holidays this year and will act accordingly,” he said.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin’s spokesman denied Russia had discussed the ceasefire with Ukraine or the United States in advance.<\/p>\n
– Previous truces –<\/p>\n
Russia announced a similar, 30-hour truce with Ukraine over Orthodox Easter last year.<\/p>\n
Both sides accused each other of violating it hundreds of times, although the Ukrainian air force reported a lull in Russian air raids during the truce.<\/p>\n
Several days later Putin declared another truce, this time over Russia’s May 9 holiday, when he was due to host world leaders including China’s Xi Jinping for a grand military parade on Red Square.<\/p>\n
Zelensky described the proposal as “cynicism of the highest order”, saying Ukraine had no intention of creating a “pleasant atmosphere” for the occasion.<\/p>\n
Previous proposals for truces failed to materialise.<\/p>\n
Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukraine’s calls for a long-term, unconditional ceasefire, saying it is instead pushing for a final peace settlement.<\/p>\n
Ukraine says Moscow is not genuinely interested in peace and wants Kyiv to capitulate.<\/p>\n
– Battlefield situation –<\/p>\n
After making its largest gains last year since 2022, the Russian army’s advances have slowed in recent months.<\/p>\n
The Russian military recorded almost no territorial gains in Ukraine last month for the first time in two and a half years, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).<\/p>\n
Across the entire front line, the Russian army seized only 23 square kilometres (8.9 square miles) in March, losing territory in some areas, according to the analysis.<\/p>\n
Moscow currently occupies just over 19 percent of Ukraine, the majority of which it seized during the first weeks of its invasion in 2022.<\/p>\n
Approximately seven percent, including Crimea and areas in the Donbas region, were already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the invasion.<\/p>\n
– Where do peace talks stand? –<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump’s administration has been pushing for an end to the fighting, brokering multiple rounds of negotiation between the two sides in Abu Dhabi and Geneva.<\/p>\n
The three countries last met in Geneva in late February, days before the United States launched its war with Iran.<\/p>\n
Trilateral talks have been effectively frozen since then, although both Moscow and Kyiv have signalled they are ready to resume them.<\/p>\n
Progress towards a peace deal has been slow, due to differences over the issue of territory.<\/p>\n
Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines.<\/p>\n
But Russia has rejected this, saying it wants Ukraine to give up all the territory in the Donetsk region that it currently controls — a demand Kyiv says is unacceptable.<\/p>\n
The two sides have also failed to reach an understanding on the issue of control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, seized by Russia at the start of the war.<\/p>\n
– ‘Short-lived’ –<\/p>\n
Ukraine has indicated it will abide by the truce, despite scepticism among Ukrainians about whether it will work.<\/p>\n
“We believe that a ceasefire is the right strategy to advance diplomatic efforts,” said Ukraine’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiga.<\/p>\n
Russian analyst Konstantin Kalachev said the truce would be “short-lived”.<\/p>\n
“Regarding the willingness to compromise, Russia doesn’t seem ready to lower its demands yet,” he told AFP.<\/p>\n
Pro-Kremlin military blogger Rybar said the truce could be used to “evacuate the bodies of the dead or even the wounded, which has become virtually impossible due to drones.”<\/p>\n
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