On Friday, US President Trump suggested that if there was no progress in Russia-Ukraine talks, the United States would abandon promoting negotiations between the two countries. On Saturday, Russian President Putin suddenly announced a ceasefire in the Ukraine war during Easter, with all military operations to be suspended from 6 PM Moscow time on Saturday until midnight on Sunday.
Based on humanitarian considerations... Russia declares an Easter ceasefire. I have ordered a complete halt to all military actions during this period, and we assume Ukraine will follow our approach. At the same time, our military must be prepared to counterattack any ceasefire violations, enemy provocations, or any aggressive actions.
Ukraine Proposes Extending Ceasefire to 30 Days
In response, Ukrainian President Zelensky agreed to comply but accused Russian forces of not stopping, and proposed extending the ceasefire to 30 days, prolonging the Russia-Ukraine truce beyond Easter on April 20:
If Russia is now suddenly prepared to truly implement a complete, unconditional ceasefire, Ukraine will take corresponding actions...
If a comprehensive ceasefire is truly achieved, Ukraine proposes extending the ceasefire until after Easter on April 20, which will expose Russia's true intentions, because 30 hours can make headlines but are insufficient to truly establish trust measures. 30 days can give peace a chance...
Russian forces continue offensive actions on multiple fronts, and artillery fire has not diminished. Therefore, Russia's statements are not credible. We are very clear about how Moscow manipulates things, and we are prepared for everything. The Ukrainian Defense Forces will take reasonable actions and retaliate in kind. Every Russian attack will be appropriately responded to.
Ukraine had previously accepted the 30-day ceasefire proposal from US President Trump, but after Russia's rejection, both sides only agreed to a limited cessation of attacks on energy facilities and maritime operations, while accusing each other of violating the agreement.
Putin has previously declared unilateral ceasefires multiple times with almost no effect. In January 2023, he proposed a 36-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas, which was rejected by Kyiv at the time. The effectiveness of this ceasefire proposal remains to be seen.
Bitcoin Rises Above $85,000
After the ceasefire news, market risk aversion sentiment slightly decreased. Bitcoin briefly rose to $85,677 last night but subsequently fell back, continuing to fluctuate around $85,000. At the time of writing, it was reported at $85,276, with a 24-hour increase of 0.9%.
