Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, ordering his forces to end hostilities at 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday until the end of Sunday.
"The Russian side will cease all hostilities from April 19 at 6 p.m. to midnight on April 21," the Kremlin said. "We assume the Ukrainian side will follow our example."
The Kremlin also said that Russian forces are prepared to "repel possible violations of the truce and provocations by Ukraine."
"Ukraine's actions during the ceasefire will show their readiness for a peaceful settlement," Russian news agency Interfax quoted Putin as saying.
TASS then quoted the Russian leader claiming that Russia "has always been ready for negotiations and welcomes the desire of the United States, China, and other countries for a fair settlement on Ukraine.
Meeting with the military chief
Putin also met with the Russian Armed Force chief Valery Gerasimov at the Kremlin, according to Russian state media. The Russian leader told Gerasimov to be "ready to respond to Ukraine's aggressive actions, in case they take place during the ceasefire period," Interfax quoted him as saying.
Putin also stated that Ukraine violated the moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure more than 100 times, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported.
RIA also quoted the Russian Defense Ministry saying that the ceasefire "will be imposed for humanitarian purposes and will be respected by the Russian military on the condition that it is mutually observed by Ukraine."
Ukrainian official says Russian forces still open fire despite ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, according to his top commander, Russian artillery fire had not subsided despite the Kremlin's proclamation of an Easter ceasefire.
"As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided," Zelensky wrote on the social media platform X.
"Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow."
He recalled that Russia had last month rejected a US-proposed full 30-day ceasefire and said that if Moscow agreed to "truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia's actions."
"If a complete ceasefire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20," Zelensky wrote.
A Ukrainian official said on Saturday that Russian forces were continuing to open fire on Ukrainian positions despite Putin's proclamation of an Easter ceasefire.
"The Russians are trying to pretend that they are 'peacekeepers', but they already refused an unconditional ceasefire on March 11 and now are conducting an information operation, talking about a 'truce' but continuing to shoot without stopping," Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram.
"This is all with the aim of blaming Ukraine," wrote Kovalenko, whose center is a body within the National Security and Defense Council.
Britain has urged Russia to commit to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, "not just a one-day pause," its foreign ministry said in a statement.
The European Union reacted cautiously to Putin's declaration of a unilateral 30-hour Easter ceasefire, saying Moscow could stop the war immediately if it wanted to.
"Russia has a track record as an aggressor, so first we need to see any actual halt of the aggression and clear deeds for a lasting ceasefire," said Anitta Hipper, the European Commission's lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security.
Hipper added that it had been more than a month since Ukraine agreed to an unconditional ceasefire.
"Russia could stop this war at any moment if it really wanted to... We continue to support Ukraine for a long, just and comprehensive peace."
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.