Ukraine calls for 30-day ban on long-range drone and missile strikes

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional details.

Kyiv is proposing a 30-day ceasefire on long-range drone and missile strikes against civilian infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 20.

Zelensky's proposal falls on Easter Sunday, amid a so-called "Easter truce" initiated on April 19 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite Putin's promise to halt all combat operations over the holiday weekend, Moscow has reportedly violated the temporary ceasefire multiple times.

While Putin plans to let the truce expire at midnight on April 21, Zelensky urged Russia to adopt a ban on aerial attacks on civilian targets.

"Ukraine proposes to abandon any strikes with long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days with the possibility of extension," Zelensky said via Telegram on April 20.

"If Russia does not agree to such a step, it will be proof that it only wants to continue doing things that destroy people's lives and continue the war."

Front-line reports from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi indicate that Russia violated the Easter truce over 2,000 times, Zelensky said.

Air raid alarms, however, were quiet throughout Easter Sunday, Zelensky said.

"So, this is the format of silence that has been achieved and which is easiest to continue."

In the days leading up to Easter, Russia launched deadly ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities during major Orthodox holidays. An attack on downtown Sumy on Palm Sunday killed 35 people and injured over 100. Less than a week later, Russian missiles hit Kharkiv on Good Friday, killing one person and injuring 120.

Following Putin's truce declaration on April 19, Zelensky called on Moscow to extend the ceasefire to 30 days — in line with a U.S. proposal for an interim ceasefire that Ukraine has supported since March.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement on April 20 reiterating Washington's commitment to "a full and comprehensive ceasefire" and saying they "would welcome (the truce) extending beyond Sunday."

Putin has given no orders to extend the ceasefire, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 20.

Moscow's call for a temporary ceasefire came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to pull U.S. support from peace negotiations if either Russia or Ukraine made the process "difficult."

‘We know what we are fighting for’ — Zelensky’s Easter address to Ukraine in full

President Volodymyr Zelensky has lauded Ukraine’s “resilience, compassion, and humanity” in his Easter address on April 20, adding the country’s faith has “not faded over 1,152 days of full-scale war.”

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk