Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed an Easter truce announced by Vladimir Putin on Saturday, saying Russian forces have continued with artillery fire.
Mr Putin ordered a 30-hour stop to military fire from 6pm Moscow time [GMT 1500] to midnight Moscow time on Sunday [GMT 2100], while warning Ukraine his troops would repel any “violations of the truce”.
His announcement, which came after US president Donald Trump warned of abandoning peace talks, was followed by accusations from Mr Zelensky that Russian soldiers were continuing to launch attacks.
“Russian assault operations continue in some areas of the front and Russian artillery does not subside,” Mr Zelensky wrote on social media on Saturday evening.
Later on Saturday night, in another social media post, Mr Zelensky, who said Kyiv would adhere to the truce, said attacks were continuing in the Kursk and Belgorod regions – both Russian areas where Ukrainian troops have crossed the border into.
“Hostilities continue, and Russian strikes persist,” wrote Mr Zelensky. “Russian artillery can still be heard in certain directions of the front, regardless of the Russian leader's promise of silence. Russian drones are in use. In some areas, the situation has become quieter.”
Earlier, Mr Zelensky said Kyiv would adhere to the truce, and said it would be ready to extending it beyond 20 April. He said that in March, Ukraine agreed to a 30-day immediate ceasefire after talks with the US, but it was rejected by Russia.
That proposal remained on the table, said Mr Zelensky, who wrote: “Thirty hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures. Thirty days could give peace a chance.”
Responding to Mr Putin's announcement of a truce, Ukraine's foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said the Russian president cannot be trusted. "Unfortunately, we have had a long history of his statements not matching his actions,” he wrote on social media.
The temporary truce was declared by Mr Putin at a meeting with his chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov. During the televised meeting, Mr Putin said: “Based on humanitarian considerations... the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I order a stop to all military activities for this period.
"We assume that Ukraine will follow our example. At the same time, our troops should be prepared to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations by the enemy, any aggressive actions."
In recent weeks, the US has been involved in direct talks with Russia and Ukraine over ending the war, which started when Russia launched an invasion in February 2022.
But patience appears to be running out for Mr Trump, who on Friday doubled down on Washington’s threats the US would abandon peace talks unless there were clear signs of progress.
He spoke shortly after secretary of state Marco Rubio warned the US may “move on" from trying to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting.
Meanwhile, with the declaration of the 30-hour truce came the announcement from Russia and Ukraine that hundreds of prisoners were swapped on Saturday in the largest exchange since the war started.
Russia’s ministry of defence said that 246 Russian service members were returned from territory controlled by Kyiv and that, “as a gesture of goodwill”, 31 wounded Ukrainian prisoners of war were transferred in exchange for 15 wounded Russian soldiers in need of urgent medical care.
Mr Zelensky said that 277 Ukrainian “warriors have returned home from Russian captivity”.
Earlier on Saturday, before the truce was announced, Russia said its soldiers had pushed Ukrainian forces from one of their last remaining footholds in Russia's Kursk region. Russian forces took control of the village of Oleshnya on the border with Ukraine, the ministry said.
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