Russia – Ukrainian War: The United States expresses welcomes the extension of ceasefire

The State Department said on Sunday it would welcome the one-day Easter ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as the Kremlin said earlier that there was no extension of the order.

Both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of breaking the ceasefire. Putin announced a one-day ceasefire in Ukraine until midnight Moscow (2100 GMT).

“We have seen President Putin announce a temporary ceasefire due to Easter. We remain committed to achieving a comprehensive and comprehensive ceasefire,” a State Department spokesman said in an emailed statement on Sunday.
“In this case, when we evaluate their severity, we welcome it to extend beyond Sunday.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of the risk of escalating the three-year-old war by Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbors and said he wants to end the war. But U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that unless there are obvious signs of progress, Washington will work hard on a peace deal.

After the U.S. and Ukraine received a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, Trump said he expected to sign a mineral agreement with Kiev within a week. An attempt in February collapsed after Zelenskiy’s Oval Office clashed with Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia pretended to be watching the Easter ceasefire, but actually continued hundreds of shellings on Saturday night, with more attacks on Sunday. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine broke the ceasefire and caused damage to infrastructure and civilians. Putin has said he hopes Ukraine abandons NATO ambitions and cedes to Russia permanently, which has lost four regions and limited the size of its military. Kyiv said the demands were related to demanding their surrender.