Ukraine pledges to observe Easter ceasefire, EU reacts cautiously

On April 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the country will comply with the Easter ceasefire order proposed by Russia.

In a post on social network X, President Zelensky affirmed: "If Russia is really ready to maintain complete and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly" and proposed extending the ceasefire until after Easter.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has reacted cautiously to Russia's ceasefire announcement, saying that Moscow could end the conflict immediately if it was determined to take this step.

European Commission (EC) foreign affairs and security spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said the EU needed to see real moves from Russia to end the conflict as well as clear steps towards a lasting ceasefire.

For its part, the British Foreign Office also called on Russia to commit to a full ceasefire in Ukraine instead of just a one-day pause in fighting, and stressed that now is the time for Russian President Vladimir Putin to show he is serious about moving towards peace.

Earlier the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry affirmed that the Russian military will monitor the ceasefire order that President Vladimir Putin just issued on the occasion of Easter if Ukraine does the same.

The Russian Defense Ministry's announcement stated: "The ceasefire is for humanitarian purposes and will be monitored by the Joint Forces on condition that the Kiev authorities also take similar steps."

The announcement also emphasized that Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov has instructed commanders of forces in the war zone to stop combat operations from 6:00 p.m. on April 19, Moscow time (10:00 p.m. Hanoi time) until midnight on April 20./.