Ukraine Begs Russia to Extend Easter Truce as Aid Dries Up
Ukrainian officials are now urging Russia to stretch out the 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire announced by Putin and restart peace talks. Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine will honor the pause but pushed hard for it to last longer than the holiday weekend.
Putin ordered Russian forces to halt from Saturday afternoon until midnight Sunday, calling it a humanitarian gesture for Easter. He made clear this is no blanket stop to fighting — Moscow wants a real, permanent deal on its terms, not just another short timeout.
Past ceasefires have collapsed fast with violations on both sides. Skeptics on the ground in Kyiv and Moscow see little chance this one leads anywhere. With U.S. support under new leadership looking less open-ended, Kyiv’s sudden interest in talks and extensions smells like desperation to many observers.
Prediction markets reflect the doubt: traders give almost no chance of any ceasefire holding by end of April. Russia holds the battlefield momentum and shows zero interest in letting up while it has the upper hand.
This feels less like a breakthrough and more like Ukraine scrambling for breathing room while the West shifts focus. Real peace will take far more than holiday photo-ops.