Russia, Ukraine, Trade Blame Over Easter Ceasefire Violations That Threaten Peace Talks

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 30-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, further complicating US-led efforts to broker a lasting truce in the three-year war, Reuters reported. 

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a cessation of hostilities and instructed his forces to pause fighting from 6 p.m. Moscow time until midnight Sunday. The Kremlin cast the gesture as a test of Ukraine’s willingness to engage in peace efforts and thanked US President Donald Trump and other leaders for their mediation attempts.  

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow continued shelling Ukrainian targets and conducted drone attacks over the weekend, reporting 46 Russian assaults in a 16-hour period. He proposed extending the ceasefire to 30 days, but warned that Kyiv will keep defending itself against Russia’s assaults. 

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry countered that Ukrainian forces violated the truce more than 1,000 times, citing drone and artillery attacks that allegedly killed civilians and damaged infrastructure in Crimea and around Russian border regions.  

Although both sides claimed there was a reduction in fighting on the frontlines, Reuters was unable to verify battlefield reports from either side. 

The weekend fighting comes amid pressure from the Trump administration to secure a negotiated settlement.  

Trump – who has repeatedly pledged to end the war quickly – warned Friday that the United States would walk away from mediation unless progress is made soon.  

The apparent breakdown in ceasefire observance underscores the difficulties facing the Trump administration, which last month suggested a 30-day truce plan that Ukraine accepted but Russia rejected. 

Analysts told the Wall Street Journal that Putin’s ceasefire offer may have been aimed at avoiding US disengagement and positioning himself as a peacemaker without making real concessions.  

However, Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials remain wary of such offers, warning that temporary pauses allow Russia to regroup militarily. 

Despite the failed truce, a large prisoner exchange took place Saturday, with 277 Ukrainians and 246 Russians repatriated.  

At the same time, Moscow said it has expelled Ukrainian troops from 99.5 percent of Russia’s Kursk region, a key area seized by Ukraine last year.