The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, announced a brief Easter truce in the conflict with Ukraine, although this measure was met with distrust by Kiev, at a key moment in the war and with the talks promoted by the United States at a standstill.
Putin communicated that "all military operations" will be suspended from 6 p.m., Moscow time, on Saturday until midnight on Sunday.
"We hope that Ukraine acts in the same way," he noted, adding that this pause would allow Russia to assess Kiev's true willingness to reach a cessation of hostilities.
While Ukraine did not openly reject the offer, Ukrainian government officials made clear their distrust toward Putin, recalling that Moscow has refused to sign the 30-day ceasefire proposal pushed by the United States, which was accepted by Kiev.
"Unfortunately, we have a history of Putin's statements that are not reflected in actions... Russia could accept at any time the proposal for a total and unconditional 30-day truce, which has been on the table since March," expressed the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, on X.
