Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared an Easter ceasefire from Saturday at 6 p.m. Moscow time, until the end of Sunday.

Putin made the remarks during a meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov. The president says he is ordering a stop to all military activities, "based on humanitarian considerations."

Putin says he assumes Ukraine will follow Russia's lead, and called for the Ukrainian side to temporarily stop fighting. The Russian side says the country will continue with the ceasefire provided it is mutually respected by Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posted on social media that "Ukraine will act accordingly--mirroring Russia's actions," indicating that his country will respond if Russia stops fighting.

Zelenskyy proposed to extend the ceasefire after Easter, saying that 30 hours is not enough for "genuine confidence-building measures."

The unilateral 30-hour ceasefire proposal by Putin comes after US President Donald Trump indicated the possibility that the US may "take a pass" and walk away from the negotiating table.

Putin had also declared a 36-hour ceasefire in January 2023, in honor of Orthodox Christmas, but fighting continued.