MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Russia and Ukraine have agreed to observe a 32-hour ceasefire during Orthodox Easter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has ordered Russian troops to stop hostilities 'in all directions' this weekend - from 4 PM local time Saturday through midnight Easter Sunday.
'We proceed on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,' the Kremlin said in a statement.
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov ordered Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov to get his forces ready to respond to 'possible enemy provocations' and any 'aggressive actions' that violate the ceasefire. ?
Putin's Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine will honor the truce proposal.
In a statement posted on social media Thursday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was 'ready for symmetrical steps'.
'People need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace. Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well,' he wrote on X and Instagram.
'Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready for reciprocal steps. We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holiday this year and will act accordingly,' he wrote on Telegram.
The call for a ceasefire was first proposed by Zelensky, but the Kremlin ignored it.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Dnipropetrovsk vOleksandr Ganzha said on Friday that two people were killed in Russian artillery and air raids in the region.
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