The statement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire over the Easter holiday on Thursday. The ceasefire will be in effect from 4 p.m. on Saturday, Moscow time, and will last until Sunday.
Earlier in the war, several brief ceasefires were declared, but both sides accused each other of violating them.
However, on Friday - the Good Friday of Orthodox Easter - at least two civilians were reported to have been killed in Russian attacks in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
“The enemy attacked three districts of the region almost 30 times with drones and artillery,” wrote the region’s military commander Oleksandr Hanzha on Telegram.
According to Bloomberg sources, the negotiations are at a standstill. But Ukraine's chief negotiator Kyrylo Budanov expressed unusual optimism in an interview on April 4, saying that the talks have begun to develop towards a peace settlement.
"Everyone understands that the war must end. That's why they are negotiating. I don't think it will take long," Budanov told Bloomberg at the time.





