Moscow responds to US State Department’s call to extend Easter ceasefire

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Easter ceasefire declared by Moscow was not observed by Ukraine, responding to a statement by the US State Department expressing hope that the truce would be extended.

“It wasn’t respected by the Kyiv regime even during Easter,” Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel late Saturday.

She accused Ukraine’s armed forces of using US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to target Russian positions during the ceasefire.

“This is no coincidence but a pattern,” she said. “During the moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, which Zelensky had agreed to, he deliberately targeted civilian energy facilities.”

On April 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a unilateral ceasefire from 18:00 Moscow time until midnight on April 20, calling it a test of Ukraine’s “readiness for peace.”

Earlier, a US State Department spokesperson told Reuters that Washington would welcome the continuation of the one-day Easter ceasefire beyond Sunday, despite the Kremlin stating there were no plans to extend it.

“We are committed to achieving a full and comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine,” the official said. “If they are serious, we would welcome it continuing beyond Sunday.”