Russia and Ukraine Agree to Orthodox Easter Ceasefire

Apr 10, 2026

Vladimir Putin announced a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire starting Saturday at 16:00 local time through Easter Sunday, while Ukrainian President Zelenskyy responded cautiously that Ukraine would act accordingly. The ceasefire proposal comes amid ongoing violence, with several people killed in Russian attacks on Nikopol, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions, and drone strikes damaging energy infrastructure in Odesa. Ukraine remains deeply skeptical of Russian ceasefire offers after Russia violated a previous May ceasefire hundreds of times during the WWII victory anniversary. The fundamental impasse continues: Kyiv demands a full ceasefire before peace negotiations, while Moscow insists on a peace deal first, with US-mediated talks currently on hold as Trump focuses on Middle East diplomacy.

Orthodox Easter Ceasefire Agreement and Terms

▪The Russian truce for Orthodox Easter was scheduled to run from 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday, 11 April through Easter Sunday.
▪Volodymyr Zelensky asked the United States to pass on a proposal for a holiday weekend truce to Moscow as a first step.
▪Dmitry Peskov stated the Orthodox Easter ceasefire was only temporary and of an exclusively humanitarian nature.
▪Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to cease fire in all directions for Orthodox Easter weekend.
▪Volodymyr Zelensky stated Ukraine was ready for symmetrical steps regarding the Orthodox Easter ceasefire.
▪Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces to be ready to intercept possible enemy provocations and any aggressive actions during the Orthodox Easter truce.

Skepticism About Russia's Commitment to the Truce

▪Russia declared a unilateral halt to fighting in May to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, during which Ukraine recorded hundreds of ceasefire violations.

Broader Peace Negotiations and Diplomatic Efforts

▪Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev was in the United States to talk about economic issues, not about Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
▪The Russia-Ukraine peace negotiation process has been on hold since Donald Trump shifted his focus to the Middle East.