Russia has announced a ceasefire on the occasion of Orthodox Easter and expressed hope that Ukraine will do the same, world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
"In connection with the approaching holiday of the Resurrection of Christ according to the Orthodox calendar, a ceasefire is declared from 4 p.m. on April 11 until the end of April 12", the Kremlin said in a statement.
„The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Andrei Belousov and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Valery Gerasimov, have been given instructions for this period to stop hostilities in all directions. The troops have been ordered to be ready to thwart possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions by him," the Kremlin statement said.
The news comes as Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is in the United States for meetings with members of Donald Trump's administration, Reuters reported.
During these meetings, he will discuss a peace agreement with Ukraine, but also US-Russian economic cooperation.
The visit comes shortly before the US decides whether to extend the exemptions on Russian oil, which expire on April 11. Under these exemptions, countries around the world were allowed to buy Russian oil and Russian oil products that had already been loaded onto ships for 30 days. The aim of the measure was to stabilize markets after the start of the war in Iran. The relief was introduced following a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 9 and a subsequent visit by Dmitriev to the United States to discuss the energy crisis with American officials, including Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkow, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.