Putin Declares “Easter Truce”
By IAR Desk
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced an Easter truce during a meeting with Russian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
The Easter truce will take effect at 18:00 Moscow time on Saturday and will last until 24:00 on Sunday, April 20.
In televised comments Putin ordered a halt to all combat operations during this time frame. “The Russian side has declared an Easter truce. I order a halt to all military operations during this period.” He urged Kyiv to follow Russia’s lead and declare a similar truce.
Russia has consolidated its position on the front, having reclaimed almost 90 per cent of the Kursk region, which had been captured by Ukraine. As per Russian media reports 99.5% (1,260 square kilometers) of the area formerly controlled by the Ukrainian army in Kursk Oblast has been liberated. Only two areas of fighting are left: the settlements of Oleshnya and Gornar;
Putin congratulated the Russian forces a Happy Easter. This year both the Catholic and Orthodox Easter will be celebrated on 20th April.
“Our decision on the Easter truce will demonstrate the Kyiv regime’s desire and ability to resolve the issue peacefully and its sincerity in engaging in a peaceful negotiation process to address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis,” the President said.
Bloomberg had earlier reported that the US was trying to get a broad ceasefire by April 20th. US President Donald Trump had warned of halting US involvement in ceasefire negotiations.
Reacting to Putin’s announcement Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said “Putin has now made statements about his alleged readiness for a cease-fire. 30 hours instead of 30 days.” “Unfortunately, we have had a long history of his statements not matching his actions.”
