Ukraine accepts Russia's proposed ceasefire, but with strong reservations

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accepted the truce proposed by Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Orthodox Easter, but did so with strong reservations and without hiding his skepticism. Although the cease-fire went into effect at 18:00 (local time), Zelensky warned that Russian troops were still firing at several points along the front.

"If a full truce is maintained, Ukraine proposes to extend it beyond Easter Day," Zelensky wrote on his official X account. However, he stressed that "we should not trust the words coming from Moscow." He accused Russia of using such gestures to improve its military position, as has happened on other occasions.

"Silence in response to silence"

Zelensky clarified that Ukrainian forces will respond with restraint if the truce is fully respected: "[There will be] silence in response to silence," and "defensive attacks in response to attacks." The president further indicated that he was in contact with the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Sirski, who informed him that the Russian assaults had not completely stopped at the beginning of the truce.

The president also warned that Russia might be trying to manipulate the international narrative while maintaining active operations. In that context, he recalled that during a previous energetic truce, Ukraine documented over a hundred violations by Moscow.

A conditional gesture

Putin announced the ceasefire just hours before its start, assuring that it was a measure taken out of "humanitarian considerations" and hoping that Kiev would "follow the Russian example." However, he also warned that he will respond "with all his might" if Ukraine does not comply.

From the Kremlin, the demand remains that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Russian-occupied regions to move toward a definitive cessation of hostilities, a condition Kiev has flatly rejected.

The Easter truce, which will last until midnight Sunday into Monday, comes just after the ultimatum issued by his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, who warned that he would abandon the peace process if there was no immediate progress between Russia and Ukraine.

Despite the temporary pause, the mistrust between the two sides makes it clear that true peace is still a long way off.