Vladimir Putin calls Easter truce in Ukraine war to last until Monday

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called an “Easter truce” in the war on Ukraine, claiming Moscow would stop “all military operations” until Monday — but Russians continued firing shells at Ukrainians on the front lines as Kyiv proposed extending the cease-fire to 30 days.

The truce was supposed to begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday and last through 12 a.m. on Monday, Putin said — but “Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at 9:15 p.m. local time.

“If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia’s actions,” he said in a post to X. “Silence in response to silence, defensive strikes in response to attacks.”

Head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation Lt. Andriy Kovalenko also said “Russians keep firing on all fronts — just like before.”

“The heaviest shelling is in the East,” Kovalenko posted to X hours after the pause was set to begin. “So much for Putin’s so-called ‘ceasefire,’ He never meant to keep it.”

However, Zelensky said that “if a complete ceasefire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20.”

“That is what will reveal Russia’s true intentions — because 30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures,” he said on X. “Thirty days could give peace a chance.”

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha in a post to X cautioned the international community to be “vigilant” regarding Putin’s claims, adding that “Only actions, not words, reveal the truth.”

US defense experts told The Post they were leery of Putin’s whiplash decision to announce a pause in hostilities.

“There’s the chance that the Russians violate the cease-fire anyway and then accuse Ukraine of spoiling it, which would be consistent with longstanding Russian informational efforts to paint the Ukrainians as the spoilers of peace,” Institute for the Study of War Russia team lead George Barros said.

Yet the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Moscow’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov ordered “all commanders of groups in” Ukraine to pause all combat operations.

“The ceasefire is being introduced for humanitarian purposes and will be observed by the Russian Joint Group of Troops (Forces), provided that it is mutually observed by the Kyiv regime,” the ministry said.

While not all fighting ceased, much of north and central Ukraine saw a significant reduction in strikes. One Ukrainian commander in the usually embattled Kharkiv told The Post all remained “quiet” about an hour into the sudden cease-fire.

“We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine’s Defense Forces will act rationally — responding in kind. Every Russian strike will be met with an appropriate response.”

It comes a day after President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened to walk away from their efforts to forge a plan for peace between Ukraine and Russia following more than a month of delays by Moscow.

Ukraine previously agreed to a full cease-fire proposed by the Trump administration more than a month ago should Moscow also sign on.

Russia has so far resisted the efforts, frustrating President Trump, who on Friday threatened to abandon the peace process if an agreement cannot be reached within the coming days.

Even if Moscow completely stops attacks on Ukraine before Monday, American defense experts said it is exceedingly difficult to make a suddenly declared cease-fire hold.

“I’m skeptical. Putin made this announcement unilaterally at the last minute without giving any time for Ukraine to coordinate with front line troops,” the Atlantic Council’s Alex Plitsas told The Post. “As a result, some will not get the message right away and he will use this as an excuse since he claims this will be a test of Kyiv’s desire (for peace.)”

“Kyiv agreed to a cease-fire a month ago. This is an an excuse for (Putin) to blame Ukraine in light of President Trump’s recent comments about walking away if parties aren’t committed,”

Barros, meanwhile, questioned Putin’s “motivations,” noting that the Kremlin’s actions so far “make clear they’re not interested in ending Russian campaigning.”

“A tactical cease-fire on Easter, assuming Russian forces honor it, supports the Russians’ larger informational offensive that seems to obfuscate Russia’s true intentions and create a narrative that the Russians are open to some kind of deal so they can string us along while the Russians continue fighting and planning how to defeat Ukraine,” he said.

“The most important fact is that Putin rejected Trump’s proposal for a general 30-day cease-fire and Russia officially still demands that Ukraine cede four regions which Russian forces do not control, and are unlikely to seize for years.”

American officials are headed to London next week for what could be the US’ last-ditch effort to end the war in Ukraine, a senior administration official told The Post on Friday.

Kyiv this week all but signed off on Trump’s proposed peace plan presented in France by Rubio and Special Presidential Envoys Steve Witkoff and Gen. Keith Kellogg, with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov telling the officials Ukraine was “90%” ready to agree, the official said.

The US now plans to offer Moscow two options to drive the Russians to accept the same agreement: a “carrot” of reduced sanctions or the “stick” of abandoning its peace talks, according to the official.

“If this thing breaks down and falls apart, the biggest fault will be with the Russians,” the official said. “The Ukrainians have been willing to give up about 20% of its country — that’s a lot.”