 "This handout picture taken and released by press-service of the 65th Separate Mechanised Brigade shows Ukrainian servicemen taking part in Easter service lead by Chaplain Father Sergiy in Zaporizhzhya region on April 20, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP Photo")
The US State Department on Sunday said it would welcome any decision to extend a one-day Easter ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin even though the Kremlin earlier indicated no such extension had been ordered.
“We have noted President Putin’s statement regarding a temporary Easter ceasefire. The United States remains committed to securing a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities,” a State Department spokesperson said.
“We would view an extension beyond Sunday as a positive step, should it materialise.”
Despite the truce announced by Putin, both Moscow and Kyiv on Sunday accused each other of breaking the Easter pause in fighting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russian forces had continued their shelling and assaults along the front lines, despite the Kremlin’s declaration of a holiday ceasefire.
Ukraine’s air force reported no overnight missile strikes or drone launches. However, Zelenskyy maintained that Russian attacks persisted on the front after the ceasefire officially began.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces had “repelled” attempted Ukrainian assaults during the same period and accused Kyiv of launching numerous drones and artillery shells, which it said caused civilian casualties.
“Despite the announcement of the Easter truce, Ukrainian units at night made attempts to attack Russia’s positions in the Donetsk region, the ministry added.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of the escalation risk of the three-year-old war launched by Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor and said he wants to end the war. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington will walk away from efforts to broker a peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress soon.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAfter the US and Ukraine reached a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, Trump said he expected to sign a minerals deal with Kyiv in a week. An attempt in February fell apart following Zelenskiyy’s Oval Office clash with Trump.
With inputs from agencies