Russia's declared Easter truce failed to hold as both sides continued fighting, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general, said on April 22 during a press briefing.
Russia was the first to declare an Easter ceasefire starting at 6 p.m. local time on April 19 and ending at midnight on April 21. President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of nearly 3,000 ceasefire breaches during that period.
"Both sides continued to fight. Once again, we call to end this war in line with relevant U.N. resolutions, international law, and the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Dujarric said.
Moscow also accused Kyiv of violating the truce. Ukraine has said it would carry out military actions only in a "symmetrical" response to Russian attacks during the ceasefire.
Following the declaration of the Easter truce, Zelensky proposed a joint 30-day ceasefire on long-range missile and drone strikes against civilian infrastructure. While claiming openness to "peace initiatives," Russia has not yet agreed to impose the ban.
Zelensky said on April 21 that he was still waiting for an answer regarding the broader ceasefire.
Kyiv has voiced skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin's Easter truce proposal, citing Russia's repeated violations of various ceasefire agreements in the past. Most recently, Ukraine said that Russian forces continued attacking Ukrainian energy facilities despite claiming to order a pause between March 18 and April 17.
U.S. President Donald Trump has also ramped up pressure on Ukraine and Russia to secure a ceasefire in the coming days. After threatening on April 18 to pull U.S. support from the peace process altogether, Trump told reporters on April 21 that there is a "very good chance" of a ceasefire agreement soon.
Ukrainian representatives will meet with officials from the U.S., U.K., and France for another round of peace talks in London on April 23.
The London negotiations are a follow-up to the recent April 17 talks in Paris, where senior members of the Trump administration first presented the U.S. ceasefire proposal to Ukrainian and European officials.
Moscow previously rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by Kyiv and Washington on March 11 in Jeddah.
Natalia Yermak
Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.
We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.
Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?
(Updated: )
