According to the Russian president, the Russian forces will lay down their arms from Saturday evening at 18:00 local time to midnight between Sunday and Monday, i.e. for 30 hours.
Putin urges Ukraine in a televised speech to follow the Russian decision, but simultaneously warns his own forces to be "prepared for possible breaches of the ceasefire by Kyiv".
When the ceasefire, after some hours, was still not followed by Russia, Ukraine's President Zelensky wrote on X:
"If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly enter into a total and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly – mirroring Russia's actions" and continued:
"If a total ceasefire really becomes a reality, Ukraine proposes that it be extended beyond Easter Sunday, April 20. This will reveal Russia's true intentions, 30 hours are enough to create headlines but not for genuine confidence-building measures. 30 days would give peace a chance".
"Now we hear Putin speak"
But it's not just in Ukraine that Putin's move is being received with skepticism.
One should take it with great skepticism. There is a context in which the move is being made, as the Americans are threatening to leave the negotiations on Ukraine, says Colonel Johan Huovinen at the Defense University in Stockholm.
Huovinen also emphasizes that the move does not come from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov or from spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as has previously been the case in comments on the negotiations.
Now we hear Putin speak, says Huovinen, which has significance in the bilateral contacts with the USA that Russia is so keen on.
Played a weak card
On Friday, US President Donald Trump threatened to abandon efforts to reach a breakthrough in the negotiations, if a ceasefire did not seem possible within the next few days.
Huovinen compares it to a card game where he says Putin is playing a "weak card" to keep the game going:
Now we'll see what the reactions will be from Washington DC.
Trump's statement followed the proposal that Rubio presented in Ukraine talks in Paris on Thursday. It included, among other things, easing of sanctions against Russia and a repetition of previous messages that Ukraine cannot become a member of NATO. Furthermore, Russia would be allowed to retain the occupied areas in Ukraine.
