Zelenskyy Accuses Russia of Violating Self-Imposed Easter Truce

Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken a self-declared Easter ceasefire by launching strikes and ground assaults across Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Sunday.

Despite the Kremlin’s Saturday announcement of a unilateral truce for the Easter weekend, Ukrainian forces reported continued Russian attacks using drones and artillery as early as Saturday night.

“We can say that the Russian army is trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire, but in some places it is still trying to make individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel.

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Zelenskyy vowed that Ukraine would not remain passive in the face of what he described as ongoing aggression. He said Ukrainian forces would respond “in a mirrored way” in several regions, including Kursk, Belgorod, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk.

The Ukrainian leader emphasized that his country remained open to a peaceful resolution but stressed that it required meaningful cooperation from Russia.

“Ukraine, together with our partners, is ready to move towards peace as constructively as possible, but we need Russia’s readiness,” Zelenskyy said in a separate message. He also called on Moscow to honor the ceasefire and extend it by 30 days.

Peace Efforts Face Repeated Setbacks

The United States has been attempting to mediate a ceasefire between the two nations, but progress has been slow. While Ukraine recently agreed to a month-long truce, Russia rejected the offer.

Earlier, Putin had agreed to halt strikes on energy sites and civilian areas, but the commitment lasted only an hour before Russian forces resumed their assaults, violating the terms of that limited deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration over the stalled negotiations, warning that the U.S. may pull back from peace efforts if neither side shows genuine commitment.

“If for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say ‘you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people’ and we’re going to take a pass,” Trump said on Friday.

Just last week, Russia drew international condemnation after launching a missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy during Palm Sunday celebrations. That attack killed over 30 people and injured 117 more, making it one of the deadliest assaults of the year.