Putin orders 30-hour ceasefire, swaps POWs with Ukraine

Henry Meyer, Bloomberg News on Apr 19, 2025

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Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 30-hour pause in hostilities in Ukraine that will cover Easter Sunday, even as he continues to resist U.S. pressure for a 30-day ceasefire in the three-year conflict.

The truce took effect at 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday is slated to end at midnight Sunday, Putin said at a televised meeting with the military’s chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov.

“I order all combat operations to cease for that period. We proceed from the premise that the Ukrainian side will follow our example,” Putin said. “At the same time, our forces must be ready to repel any violation of the ceasefire and any provocations from the adversary.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the announcement. “As for yet another attempt by Putin to play with human lives — at this moment, air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine,” with attack drones detected in the skies, he said on X. “Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.”

Putin’s move comes after the U.S. warned on Friday that it may abandon efforts to end the war in Ukraine within days if there isn’t progress toward a ceasefire.

On Friday, the Kremlin said an order to pause strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days had expired, with no updated instructions in place.

Russia has offered brief truces before during its three-year invasion of Ukraine, notably a proposal for a cessation of hostilities during the Orthodox Christmas period in 2023.

Trump has expressed increasing frustration with the pace of negotiations with Putin. Still, he’s shown determination to get a deal done to halt to hostilities within a target of 100 days of his Jan. 20 inauguration — or April 30.

The U.S. is open to recognizing Crimea as part of Russia under a peace agreement with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported earlier Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Easter truce will show Ukraine’s readiness for peace, Putin said, adding that he supports efforts by Trump to reach a solution to the conflict.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said his country has already agreed “unconditionally” to the U.S. proposal for a “full interim ceasefire for 30 days.” Russia has, instead, “imposed various conditions and increased terror against Ukraine, civilians, and civilian infrastructure throughout the country,” he said on X.

Russia has tied its agreement to a cessation of hostilities to sanctions relief and a suspension of arms deliveries to Ukraine.

The past few weeks have seen a pair of especially deadly Russian missile attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, including on Kryvih Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, and the northeastern city of Sumy.

Russian troops, which control about 20% of Ukraine, at the same time continue to inch forward on the battlefield. Moscow said Saturday it ejected Ukrainian forces from a village in the Russian region of Kursk, leaving just one settlement in the area under Ukraine’s control.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Telegram that its troops took over the village of Oleshnya, close to the border with Ukraine. Kremlin forces are still trying to recapture the village of Gornal, the last holdout of the Ukrainian army in the region, the Tass state news service said.

Ukrainian authorities haven’t confirmed the loss of Oleshnya. Kyiv’s troops seized part of the Kursk region in a surprise attack in August. Russia has now recovered 99.5% of the occupied territory in Kursk, Gerasimov said.

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine swapped 246 prisoners of war each on Saturday, the Russian defense ministry said. Russia also set free 31 wounded Ukrainian soldiers in return for 15 Russian troops needing urgent medical care, it said. The exchange, brokered by the United Arab Emirates, is the latest such deal that’s seen several thousand soldiers released.

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(With assistance from Olesia Safronova.)