The reports of Putin's decision not to extend the 30-hour ceasefire during the Easter weekend came late on Sunday afternoon, hours before the ceasefire was set to expire at midnight on Monday, according to earlier information from the Kremlin.
On Sunday, further reports emerged from both Russian and Ukrainian sources that the ceasefire had not been observed – Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj states on X that Russia has violated it over 2,000 times.
Zelenskyj could, however, note that Ukraine had not needed to use air raid warnings during the day. He also reiterated Kyiv's stance on a 30-day ceasefire that would apply to raids with long-range drones, robotic attacks, and attacks on civilian targets.
The Russian attacks are said to have taken place with both combat units and grenade and drone attacks along the front lines in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as the Russian Kursk region.
Donald Trump hopes that Russia and Ukraine will be able to reach a peace agreement – as early as next week. He writes on Truth Social.
"Both countries will then start making big deals with the USA, which will thrive, and will earn a lot!" writes the US President in capital letters.
Explosions at the front
AFP news agency's journalists also witnessed explosions on Sunday morning, about a mile from the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Russia's Defense Ministry stated that "despite the announcement of the Easter ceasefire, Ukrainian forces made several attack attempts" against positions in the Donetsk region "which we repelled".
The attacks are said to have taken place through, among other things, grenade fire and drone attacks, which the ministry claims have caused civilian casualties and injuries without going into details.
The ministry claimed at the same time that Russian forces "strictly observed the ceasefire and remained at their positions at the front, which were previously occupied".
Threatened to withdraw
Putin's announcement of the Easter ceasefire came after months of efforts by the American Trump administration to get Moscow and Kyiv to agree on a ceasefire. Washington threatened on Friday to withdraw from mediation efforts if no progress was made.
From the USA, however, there has been silence about the Putin-declared ceasefire. The State Department stated late on Sunday in an email to the Reuters news agency that they had "seen reports of the ceasefire" and that the USA "remains committed to achieving a full and comprehensive ceasefire".
