Zelenskyy accuses Putin of violating 'Easter truce' following Russia's pledge to cease 'all military operations'

Taking to X on Saturday, Ukraine's leader said "Russian assault operations continue" on the frontline, appearing to directly contradict Putin's pledge.

It comes as Britain urged Russia on Saturday to commit to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, "not just a one-day pause", its foreign ministry insisted on Saturday.

Zelenskyy highlighted the apparent hypocrisy of the situation, noting a "proposal for a full and unconditional 30 days ceasefire" put forward by his country "has gone unanswered by Russia for 39 days".

It following an earlier 'olive branch' announcement by the Russian leader on Saturday, with Moscow announcing it hoped Ukraine "will follow our example" by laying down its weapons.

However, despite Putin's words, air raid sirens signalling the threat of ballistic missiles continued to sound over Ukraine's capital late into Saturday evening.

The move by Russia follows Donald Trump echoing his Secretary of State in warning both parties that the US would "walk away" from ceasefire talks if progress couldn't be made in the coming days.

Read more: Trump is looking for an 'exit ramp' on Ukraine, Ben Wallace tells LBC, as he warns victory is getting further away

In the social media post - a method favoured by Ukraine's leader - Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian artillery fire has not yet subsided despite the Kremlin’s assertions of peace.

“As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided,” the Ukrainian president wrote.

“Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow.”

He added in the post that Ukraine would mirror Russia’s actions if they agreed to “truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence”.

"If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia’s actions.

"Silence in response to silence, defensive strikes in response to attacks. If a complete ceasefire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20."

Word of the 30 hour pause follows news of the largest prisoner swap of the war to-date.

The Russian defence ministry said 246 Russian servicemen had been returned "from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime".

In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "another 277 warriors have returned home from Russian captivity".

Early on Saturday, Putin took to the Kremlin's Telegram account, to declare: "Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 18:00 to midnight from Sunday to Monday, the Russian side declares an Easter truce. I order all military actions to be stopped for this period."

Following the announcement, Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "Ukraine has committed to a full ceasefire. We urge Russia to do the same."

They added that a pause in fighting and air bombardments would enable negotiations and the prospect of lasting peace.

"Now is the moment for Putin to show he is serious about peace by ending his horrible invasion," the spokesperson added.

"At the same time, our troops must be ready to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy, any of its aggressive actions," Russia's statement added.

This temporary ceasefire comes just hours after Russia launched a massive wave of strikes on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air force said the Kremlin launched eight missiles and 87 drones targeting Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk and Zaporizhia.

Air defence units shot down at least 33 drones, while another 36 were redirected.

It is unclear how many people were injured in the attack.

Hopes of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia have diminished in recent days, with the United States suggesting it could "walk away" from peace talks if a deal isn't agreed soon.

Speaking on Friday, the US President doubled down on earlier comments made by his Secretary of State, confirming the US would "just take a pass" if negotiations appear to be stalling.

Marco Rubio claimed on Friday that the White House would "walk away" from attempts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine failing any further progress.

Asked whether the claim was accurate, Trump asserted he would abandon attempts "very shortly" if a deal could not be reached.

"How many days is that?" one reporter asked him from the White House.

"No specific number of days. But quickly, we want to get it done," Trump responded.

Asked whether Russia was playing the US, the president added: "Nobody is playing me. I'm trying to help."

He added "we have a really good chance" of getting a deal.

"It's coming to a head right now," he added on Friday.

"Now, if for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say, 'You're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people,' and we're going to just take a pass."

Adding: "But hopefully, we won't have to do that."

Asked if he was prepared to walk away altogether from US efforts to broker a deal, Trump added: "Well, I don't want to say that, but we want to see it end."