The brief Easter ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and accepted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, takes effect this afternoon. The Kremlin announced that the ceasefire begins at 4:00 PM Moscow time and will last 32 hours.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov received orders to halt combat operations in all directions for the duration of the ceasefire. Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed that his country is prepared to honor this rare pause in hostilities.

"The Easter ceasefire could become the beginning of a real move toward peace," Zelensky said, adding that every opportunity to reduce violence should be seized.

A similar ceasefire was declared last year, also for Orthodox Easter, but both sides accused each other of violating it multiple times. This year's pause comes at a time when negotiations to end the four-year conflict are at a standstill.

Several rounds of talks sponsored by the United States have failed to bring the warring parties closer to an agreement. The process slowed further after Washington's attention shifted to the situation in the Middle East.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that the announcement of this brief ceasefire is not directly linked to negotiations for a permanent resolution of the conflict. Nevertheless, the head of Zelensky's office expressed optimism that progress is being made, emphasizing that "everyone understands that the war must end."