Kremlin says Putin has not ordered extension of Easter ceasefire in Ukraine

ISTANBUL

The Kremlin announced on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not ordered the extension of an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine.

Putin's decision to not extend the ceasefire was announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in remarks to Russian state news agency Tass.

On Saturday, Putin declared a 30-hour unilateral ceasefire in the ongoing war in Ukraine, arguing that its success or failure would show Kyiv's readiness to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would be mirroring Russia’s actions, adding that Kyiv proposes extending the pause “if a complete ceasefire truly takes hold.”

The ceasefire began at 6:00 pm Moscow time and will continue until Monday midnight (2100GMT), though both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of violating it.