Here is where things stand on Sunday, April 20:
Easter truce
- In a surprise move, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral 30-hour Easter truce on Saturday. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted Russian “assault operations” and “artillery fire are ongoing”, adding that his country would abide by the truce.
- Zelenskyy on Sunday said the Russian army was making a “pretence” of an Easter ceasefire, continuing overnight attempts to inflict front-line losses on Ukraine. He added that Ukraine’s proposal to extend the ceasefire with Russia for 30 days after Easter remains valid.
- Despite the truce, early on Sunday, Ukrainian forces reported 59 instances of shelling and five assault attempts along the front line.
Politics and diplomacy
- The Russian Ministry of Defence said Russia and Ukraine swapped 246 prisoners each on Saturday. It was mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
- Zelenskyy said 277 Ukrainian service personnel had returned home from Russian captivity in the latest swap.
- The United Kingdom urged Russia to commit to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, “not just a one-day pause”, its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement.
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The European Union has reacted cautiously to Putin’s declaration of the Easter truce in Ukraine, saying Moscow could stop the war immediately if it wanted to.
