Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine on Thursday, April 9, 2026, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming Kyiv would honour the pause, as both sides braced for a holiday truce widely expected to be contested on the ground.
The Kremlin’s decree, issued in Putin’s capacity as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s armed forces, ordered a halt to combat operations in all directions from 4:00 PM on Saturday, April 11, through the end of Sunday, April 12, 2026, in observance of the Orthodox Easter feast.
Zelensky, who had signalled Kyiv’s openness to a holiday truce, confirmed Ukraine’s readiness to match the gesture. “We proposed a ceasefire this year for the duration of the Easter holidays and will act accordingly. People need an Easter without threats and real progress toward peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to strikes even after Easter,” he wrote on X.
The announcement carries familiar echoes of last year’s short-lived pause. Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it. The Kremlin’s latest statement again called on Ukraine to follow Russia’s example while simultaneously ordering troops to remain ready to counter what it described as possible enemy provocations.
The Easter ceasefire coincides with a pause in U.S.-led efforts to clinch a broader settlement to the four-year conflict, as Washington’s attention has shifted sharply toward hostilities in Iran and the wider Middle East.
On the diplomatic track, Russia’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is in Washington for meetings with the Trump administration. Reuters reported that discussions are focused on a Ukraine peace deal and broader U.S.-Russia economic cooperation, with the possible extension of American sanctions relief on Russian oil also on the agenda ahead of an April 11 waiver expiry.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency TASS (Telegrafnoye Agentstvo Sovetskogo Soyuza) that Putin’s ceasefire declaration had not been discussed in advance with Washington and was not linked to any resumption of trilateral peace talks.
The broader diplomatic picture remains bleak. Russia has effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the United States and Ukraine, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, though Moscow has announced several short, unilateral ceasefires since the conflict began. U.S.-led talks have made no progress on key issues.
Military analysts remain cautious about whether either side will fully observe the truce along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line. The brief window offers civilians celebrating Orthodox Easter a fragile pause in hostilities, though few expect it to mark the beginning of anything more durable.
