US president Donald Trump has said he is hopeful Russia and Ukraine can come to a deal to end the war this week after both sides accused each other of violating a supposed Easter ceasefire.
Despite the Russian president's declaration of a truce on Saturday, which has now expired, the Ukrainian president said in a post on X that the Russian army has violated the ceasefire almost 3,000 times.
He also proposed Russia abandon drone and missile strikes on civilian infrastructure for at least 30 days - an idea the Kremlin appeared to dismiss.
Russia's defence ministry accused Ukraine of breaking the ceasefire more than a 1,000 times, inflicting damages to infrastructure and causing civilian deaths.
Meanwhile, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week. Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune!”
The US president has been pushing for a deal for several weeks and on Friday threatened to walk away over a lack of progress.
Why Putin’s Easter ‘ceasefire’ is a dangerous distraction from his original sin
Ukrainians gather together to mark Easter with little faith in ceasefire with Russia
Putin announces ‘Easter truce’ in Ukraine war as Zelensky accuses Russia of continuing attacks
Vladimir Putin declares truce in Ukraine - but how many times has he broken ceasefire agreements?
Key Points
- Trump says he hopes Ukraine and Russia will make a deal this week
- Ukraine asks Russia to halt strikes on civilian targets for 30 days
- Ukraine claims Russia launches hundreds of attacks despite Easter truce
- Putin has no control or truce is PR exercise, Zelensky says
- Russia claims Ukraine broke ceasefire and reports civilian casualties
Ukraine reports nearly 3,000 violations of Russia's own Easter ceasefire vow
23:57 , Jabed AhmedUkraine's forces reported 2,935 violations of Russia's own Easter ceasefire vow, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
"The nature of Ukrainian actions will continue to be mirrored: we will respond to silence with silence, our strikes will be to protect against Russian strikes," Mr Zelensky said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Trump's push for peace
23:30 , Tara CobhamUS president Donald Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly warned of the escalation risk of the war – which his administration now casts as a proxy conflict between the US and Russia, echoing Moscow's stance.
Last month, after Ukraine accepted Trump's proposal for a 30-day truce, Russian president Vladimir Putin said crucial issues of verification had not been sorted out. Both Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to a moratorium on attacks on energy targets and at sea, which each accuses the other of breaking.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv was willing to extend the Easter ceasefire for 30 days.
Russia controls just under one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Trump says US may ‘take a pass’ from Ukraine talks if they prove too difficult
23:00 , Tara CobhamDonald Trump has said the US could “take a pass” on Ukraine peace talks if they become too difficult but added he thought there was a “good chance” of succeeding.
Sir Keir Starmer discussed Ukraine with the US president in a phone call on Friday, Downing Street said, but did not give further details.
Mr Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio had suggested that Washington could “move on” if progress is not made within days in comments after a meeting in Paris with UK, EU and Ukrainian delegations.
Helen Corbett reports:
Trump says US may ‘take a pass’ from Ukraine talks if they prove too difficult
Recap: Watch as farms engulfed in flames after Russia’s overnight attacks on Odesa
22:30 , Tara CobhamUkrainian troops killed in Russian 'ambush' on Donetsk region today, Zelensky says
22:00 , Tara CobhamVolodymyr Zelensky has said some Ukrainian troops were killed in a Russian "ambush" on Sunday in the Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian president vowed the Russian soldiers responsible would be “eliminated”.
Trump says he hopes Ukraine and Russia will make a deal this week
21:33 , Jabed AhmedUS President Donald Trump has said he hopes Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week to end the conflict in Ukraine.
"BOTH WILL THEN START TO DO BIG BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WHICH IS THRIVING, AND MAKE A FORTUNE!" He said in a post on Truth Social.
Comment: Why US diplomats Witkoff and Rubio are now courting the Europeans
21:30 , Tara CobhamAre the Americans and the Europeans finally converging on a peace plan for Ukraine? Or was this week’s Paris meeting the prelude to an imminent parting of the ways?
The outcome, judging by the sparse statements produced by the two sides, can be read either way – although neither would seem to offer great hope of an early end to the war or of stronger support for Ukraine against Russia.
The first, suggested by the brief statement from the Elysee Palace soon afterwards, was that the Europeans and the Americans had found some common ground. Discussions, it said, had “focused mainly on the peace negotiations aimed at ending the Russian aggression in Ukraine”, and crucially went on: “building on the talks between the President of the Republic and President Trump, as well as on the work of the Coalition of the Willing, co-chaired by France and the United Kingdom...”
Mary Dejevsky writes:
Why US diplomats Witkoff and Rubio are now courting the Europeans
Recap: Trump insists he's not being 'played by Russia' as Ukraine peace talks stall
21:00 , Tara CobhamZelensky reiterates Ukraine's offer to extend truce for 30 days
20:30 , Tara CobhamVolodymyr Zelensky reiterated Ukraine's offer to extend the truce for 30 days, starting midnight Sunday.
The Ukrainian president said the proposal "remains on the table" and added: "We will act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground."
ANALYSIS: Why Putin’s Easter ‘ceasefire’ is a dangerous distraction from his original sin
20:00 , Tara CobhamVladimir Putin’s “unilateral” ceasefire declaration this weekend – a bid to use Easter as a propaganda tool – is a deliberate waste of time intended to shift attention away from the Russian president’s original sin.
That sin – better understood as an international crime that led to more crimes against humanity – was the 2014 invasion of Ukraine, and the 2022 attempt at a full-scale Anschluss, along with the mass murder and deliberate targeting of civilians that followed.
Of course, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has been quick to point out that Putin immediately ignored his own declaration.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Why Putin’s Easter ‘ceasefire’ is a dangerous distraction from his original sin
Ukraine asks Russia to halt strikes on civilian targets for 30 days
19:47 , Jabed AhmedUkraine has proposed Russia abandon drone and missile strikes on civilian infrastructure for at least 30 days, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"If Russia does not agree to such a step, it will be proof that it intends to continue doing only those things which destroy human lives and prolong the war," Mr Zelensky said on X.
Watch: Mass prisoner swap brings emotional homecoming for hundreds of Ukrainian troops
19:30 , Tara Cobham
Mass prisoner swap brings emotional homecoming for hundreds of Ukrainian troops
Russia increasing use of heavy weaponry, Zelensky says
19:00 , Tara CobhamVolodymyr Zelensky has said that despite Ukraine declaring a symmetrical approach to Russian actions, "the trend of increasing the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces continues."
The Ukrainian president added, however, that it was "a good thing, at least, that there were no air raid sirens."
US says it would welcome Easter ceasefire extension
18:40 , Jabed AhmedThe US State Department hsd said it would welcome the extension beyond Sunday of a one-day Easter ceasefire declared by Vladimir Putin even as the Kremlin said earlier there was no order for an extension.
"We have seen President Putin's announcement of a temporary ceasefire due to Easter. We remain committed to achieving a full and comprehensive ceasefire," a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Sunday.
"As we assess their seriousness in this instance, we would welcome it extending beyond Sunday."
Russia claims Ukraine launched attacks in Donetsk and Kherson regions
18:30 , Tara CobhamRussia's Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of overnight attacks in the Donetsk region despite the ceasefire.
It said Ukraine had sent 48 drones into Russian territory. According to the ministry, there were "dead and wounded among the civilian population," without giving details.
It claimed Russian troops had strictly observed the truce.
Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson also said Ukrainian forces had launched attacks.
Editorial: The abject failure of Donald Trump’s peace initiative is now plain for all to see
18:00 , Tara CobhamPainful as it is to recall at this juncture, it was not so very long ago that Donald Trump – as candidate and then as president-elect – bragged that he could end the war in Ukraine “in a day” – or, just to emphasise the spurious precision and seriousness of his outlandish claim, “within 24 hours”. Perhaps the president was speaking figuratively, after all.
Since he took power almost 100 days ago, it is fair to say that progress has been slow, and that what little has been achieved by the various rounds of peace talks – often with Ukraine cruelly absent – has not been sustained.
Even Mr Trump has declared himself “very angry” and “pissed off” at the delays, which have usually been caused by Russia playing for time in a fairly blatant manner. Yet that was a month ago, and even a threat (which turned out to be empty) to sanction Russia’s oil export trade failed to push Moscow along the path towards peace.
Read more here:
The abject failure of Donald Trump’s peace initiative is now plain for all to see
No order from Putin for Easter ceasefire extension, reports TASS citing Kremlin
17:30 , Tara CobhamRussia's President Vladimir Putin has not issued an order to extend the Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Sunday.
The ceasefire expires at midnight (10pm BST) on Sunday.
Watch: Putin attends Easter service in shadow of Ukraine ceasefire
17:00 , Tara CobhamZelensky says Putin's declaration of Easter truce has proven 'empty'
16:45 , Tara CobhamVolodymyr Zelensky has said Vladimir Putin’s declaration of an Easter ‘ceasefire’ has proven “empty” after Russia launched hundreds of attacks at Ukraine today.
In a post on X, the Ukrainian president said: “Unfortunately, the trend of increasing the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces continues. From the beginning of the day until 4pm, there have been a total of 46 Russian assaults across various directions and 901 instances of shelling, 448 of which involved heavy weaponry. More than 400 cases of FPV drone use by Russians have already been documented.
“The highest level of Russian combat activity this Easter is in the Pokrovsk direction. Putin’s words about a ‘ceasefire’ have also proven empty in the Kursk region, the Siversk direction, and other directions in the Donetsk region.”
A report by Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi as of 4:00 p.m. on Easter Day:
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2025
Unfortunately, the trend of increasing the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces continues. From the beginning of the day until 4:00 p.m., there have been a total of 46 Russian assaults across various…
Trump on course for failure on Ukraine peace deal, Ben Wallace warns
16:00 , Tara CobhamDonald Trump risks becoming a “cheerleader for Russia” in its war in Ukraine, the former defence secretary has warned after the US president confirmed he is prepared to walk away from peace talks.
Ben Wallace, who was defence secretary between 2019 and 2023, said Mr Trump could become a “bystander” if he pulls out of the peace process.
His comments come after Mr Trump doubled down on Washington’s threats to abandon talks aimed at brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine if there are no signs of immediate progress.
Political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
Trump on course for failure on Ukraine peace deal, Ben Wallace warns
RAF fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft flying close to Nato airspace
15:12 , Tara CobhamRAF fighter jets have intercepted two Russian aircraft flying close to Nato airspace over the Baltic Sea.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said two RAF Typhoons were scrambled from Malbork Air Base in Poland on Tuesday to intercept a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M "Coot-A" intelligence aircraft.
On Thursday, another two Typhoons were scrambled from the base to intercept an unknown aircraft leaving Kaliningrad air space close to Nato airspace.
The MoD said on Sunday that the intercepts mark the RAF's first scramble as part of Operation Chessman and come weeks after the aircraft arrived in eastern Poland to begin deployment alongside Sweden in defence of Nato's eastern flank.
Interception in aviation terms refers to when one aircraft, typically a military one, approaches another for the purpose of identification or intervention.
Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said the UK was "unshakeable" in its commitment to Nato.
Watch: Joy as Ukraine brings home hundreds of soldiers in prisoner exchange with Russia
14:00 , Tara CobhamANALYSIS: Trump's performative frustrations over Putin's truce rejection can be flipped on Ukraine after Easter 'truce'
13:06 , Tara CobhamWorld affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Vladimir Putin has tried to sucker America, where secretary of state Marco Rubio has said the US might “walk away” from Donald Trump’s efforts to secure peace in a matter of days.
Performative frustrations by Trump and his administration over Russia’s real-world rejection of ceasefire terms can be bent into a new narrative that, after the Easter “ceasefire” Ukraine has also been intransigent.
The Trump administration is firmly on Russia’s side when it comes to peace talks. So a sudden unilateral ceasefire offer from the Kremlin will be welcomed by the White House and is part of the duet Putin and Trump are playing. Trump pretends to be frustrated with Putin, Putin strokes away the irritation with a gesture that has no material effect on the war he started – but which Trump blames on Joe Biden, Nato, Europe, Zelensky – anyone and anything but Putin.
Trump and Putin are holding the discussions in the space they have created – where they centre around how much of Ukraine will Russia get and how much of Ukraine’s resources America will extract.
Ukraine wants future talks about how the end the war to centre on how to get Russia out of its territory. Europe’s main concern is protecting Ukraine and developing the military capacity to scare Putin away from his often spoken desires to force former Soviet-sphere nations in eastern Europe back into Russia’s portfolio.
That’s much harder to focus on if, as Putin and Trump want, diplomatic and poetical effort gets misfocussed on quibbles over fake ceasefires rather than winning the war against Russia.
ANALYSIS: Why Putin’s Easter ‘ceasefire’ is a dangerous distraction from his original sin
12:59 , Tara CobhamWorld affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Using Easter as a propaganda tool, the Russian president’s “unilateral” ceasefire declaration this weekend is a deliberate waste of time intended to shift attention away from Vladimir Putin’s original sin.
That sin, better understood as an international crime leading to more crimes against humanity, was the 2014 invasion of Ukraine, the 2022 full-scale Anschluss against Kyiv, along with the mass murder and deliberate targeting of civilians that followed.
Of course Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has been quick to point out that Putin quickly or immediately ignores his own declaration.
“Between 6pm yesterday and midnight today, there were 387 instances of shelling and 19 assaults by Russian forces. Drones were used by Russians 290 times,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile Russia claims there were 444 “shooting” attacks by Ukraine after Kyiv said it would also observe the “ceasefire”.
The real issue here is that Putin has got us all talking about who and who violated what about which ceasefire (Ukraine had agreed another one brokered by the US which Russia also agreed to but didn’t sign up for as the Kremlin wanted some tweaks).
A ceasefire of 30 hours, offered by Putin over Easter, should be extended into a recognition of the earlier non-agreement on a 30 day US-brokered ceasefire Keir Starmer and others said. The vain hope is that a down-weapons agreement can be parlayed into a longer-term peace deal.
But Putin has massed close to 70,000 troops on Ukraine’s northern border and may soon launch a renewed assault to carve away (at least) the chunks of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces Russia has already captured. He might equally use those forces to have a go at Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, a half-hour drive from the Russian border.
Any ceasefire now gives Russian forces time to re-supply and reposition.
Ukrainians gather together to mark Easter with little faith in ceasefire with Russia
11:42 , Tara CobhamUkrainians are gathering together to mark Easter, with little faith in the possibility of a ceasefire with Russia as both sides accuse the other of breaking a temporary truce.
Dozens of Ukrainian civilians gathered outside the ruins of a damaged church in northern Ukraine on Sunday to mark Easter, doubting a ceasefire with Russia might be possible.
In the village of Lukashivka in the Chernihiv region, briefly occupied by Russian forces in 2022, parishioners of the damaged Ascension Church arrived early at a small makeshift wooden church built last year to cater to the needs of the faithful, holding traditional Easter baskets and cakes to have them blessed.
Read more here:
Ukrainians gather together to mark Easter with little faith in Russia ceasefire
Russia claims Ukraine broke ceasefire over a thousand times and reports civilian casualties
11:41 , Tara CobhamRussia's defence ministry claimed on Sunday that Ukraine had broken the Easter ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin more than a thousand times, inflicting damages to infrastructure and causing civilian deaths.
The ministry said that Ukrainian forces had shot at Russian positions 444 times while it had counted more than 900 Ukrainian drone attacks.
It said the border districts of the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions have been attacked.
"As a result, there were deaths and injuries among the civilian population, as well as damage to civilian objects," it said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.
The battlefield reports could not be independently verified.
The defence ministry also said that the Russian military had gained control of Novomikhailivka in eastern Ukraine before the declaration of ceasefire.
Russia steps up Ukraine attacks proving Putin has no control over army or truce is PR exercise, Zelensky says
11:29 , Tara CobhamVolodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of stepping up its attacks despite the Easter ceasefire it declared, proving either that Vladimir Putin “does not have full control over his army” or that the truce is merely a PR exercise.
The Ukrainian president wrote on X on Sunday morning that Russia had launched 26 assaults from midnight up until midday local time (9am GMT).
"Either Putin does not have full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war, and are only interested in favourable PR coverage," Mr Zelensky's post said.
A new report by Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi on the frontline as of 12:00 p.m. on Easter Day.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2025
Despite Ukraine declaring a symmetrical approach to Russian actions, an increase in Russian shelling and the use of kamikaze drones has been observed since 10:00 a.m. – with FPV drone…
Putin shown to be 'sole cause' of war, Zelensky argues
11:00Volodymyr Zelensky said that some areas were quieter since the ceasefire was announced, which he claimed showed Vladimir Putin to be the "sole cause" of the war.
"The moment Putin actually ordered a reduction in the intensity and brutality of attacks, fighting and killings decreased. The sole cause of this war and of its prolongation lies in Russia," the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
A report by the Commander-in-Chief.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 19, 2025
We are documenting the actual situation on all directions. The Kursk and Belgorod regions — Easter statements by Putin did not extend to this territory. Hostilities continue, and Russian strikes persist. Russian artillery can still be heard…
Ukraine shoots at Russian troops 444 times despite ceasefire, Russian news agency claims
10:18 , Tara CobhamUkraine has shot at the positions of Russian troops 444 times despite the Easter ceasefire, Russian news agency IFX has claimed, citing Russia’s defence ministry.
Russia gained control of Novomikhailivka in Ukraine before truce, state news agency reports
10:16 , Tara CobhamThe Russian military had gained control of Novomikhailivka in eastern Ukraine before Vladimir Putin’s declaration of the Easter ceasefire, Russian state news agency RIA has reported, citing Russia’s defence ministry.
Ukraine launched 48 drones at Russia overnight, state news agency claims
10:14 , Tara CobhamUkraine launched 48 drones at Russia overnight including one in Crimea, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing Russia’s defence ministry.
Blasts reported in Russian-controlled Donetsk amid Easter ceasefire
09:36 , Tara CobhamSeveral blasts ripped through Russian-controlled Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Sunday amid an Easter ceasefire declared by the Kremlin, Russian news agency reported.
The TASS state news agency, citing local "operative services", said at least three blasts were heard in the city, which has been under Russia's control since 2014.
The RIA news agency also said that at least three explosions were heard in the city after 9am (7am BST), citing its reporter in the area.
The battlefield reports could not be immediately independently verified.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a surprise one-day ceasefire in Ukraine on Saturday for Easter, but Kyiv said Russian forces continued artillery fire and called instead for an extended true halt to hostilities.
