Russia’s Putin declares a ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine to observe the Orthodox Easter holiday. The decree follows a proposal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to pause attacks on energy infrastructure during the holiday. Previous unilateral ceasefire attempts have historically failed, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Despite ongoing U.S.-mediated talks, there has been no significant progress toward a broader peace settlement in the long-standing conflict.
1 day ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter, but Ukraine said Russian forces continued using drones after the truce began. The announcements came amid U.S.-mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv and earlier Ukrainian proposals for holiday-aligned restraint involving energy infrastructure. 1 2
Putin declared that Russian forces would halt hostilities starting at 4 p.m. Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday. 1
The Kremlin decree, issued through official channels, said orders were issued to “cease hostilities in all directions,” while troops would remain prepared to counter “possible provocations.” 1
The report said there was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to Putin’s ceasefire announcement. 1
It also noted Zelenskyy had earlier called for a pause in some hostilities to observe the holiday. 1
After the ceasefire took effect, a Ukrainian military officer told AP that Russian forces continued strikes with drones. 2
A Ukrainian account described artillery pausing in one sector, while drones continued to hit Ukrainian positions in the Donetsk–Dnipropetrovsk–Zaporizhzhia junction area. 2
The same report described Ukrainian response as “silence to silence and fire to fire,” reflecting a posture of matching any violations. 2
The coverage said previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact, with each side accusing the other of breaking past truces. 1
It specifically referenced Putin unilaterally declaring a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter and the subsequent mutual accusations of violations. 1
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the Easter ceasefire as a “humanitarian” gesture. 2
At the same time, the report said Moscow continued to insist on a comprehensive settlement aligned with its longstanding demands, a sticking point preventing broader agreement. 2
The reporting placed the ceasefire against the backdrop of U.S.-led talks, which it said had made no progress on key issues. 1
It also noted Washington’s focus had shifted toward the Middle East while the war continued along an approximately 800-mile front line. 1
Hours before the ceasefire began, the report described Russian drone strikes that killed people in Odesa and Kherson
How does the Catholic Church view ceasefires in armed conflict?
The Catholic Church does not treat a ceasefire as a mere tactical pause. Rather, it views a ceasefire—especially an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”—as a morally urgent step to limit violence, protect civilians, and open a path to sincere dialogue for peace. It also insists that even in war, the principles of international humanitarian law must be respected, since civilian suffering is never acceptable as “collateral damage.”
Catholic teaching repeatedly rejects the idea that war is simply “normal” or automatically ends justice. Pope Francis warns against the ideology that treats “conflict, violence and breakdown” as normal functioning of society, and he prays for an end to war by asking for concrete measures such as a ceasefire.
In the same spirit, the Church’s appeals for peace are not abstract: they explicitly call for stopping weapons and preventing further harm to vulnerable people.
Across multiple papal appeals, “ceasefire” language is directly tied to humanitarian priorities:
Taken together, this shows the Church’s practical moral logic: ceasefires are sought so that humanitarian catastrophe does not worsen and so that basic human needs—medical care, aid delivery, protection—can be met.
The Church grounds its demands not only in feelings for the suffering, but in binding ethical/legal principles:
So, from the Church’s point of view, ceasefires are not an optional courtesy; they are aligned with the duty to limit the dehumanizing effects of armed conflict and to protect those who do not participate in fighting.
Catholic teaching does not deny that states may have responsibilities regarding defense; it insists, however, that even when legitimate defense is exercised, force must be used with ethical restraint.
Pope Francis emphasizes that “even when exercising the right of legitimate defence, it is essential to adhere to a proportionate use of force,” and he links the need for peace to preventing the civilian harm that modern wars can inflict indiscriminately.
This means: ceasefires are one concrete way to reduce violence and civilian suffering while still allowing the pursuit of just security through lawful means and negotiations.
The Church’s repeated calls connect ceasefires to dialogue and to a broader moral goal:
So, a ceasefire is morally meaningful when it is ordered toward justice, human dignity, and reconciliation, not toward an indefinite postponement of deeper injustice.
From the Church’s appeals, the moral “contents” of ceasefire advocacy include:
In sum, the Catholic Church views ceasefires as a moral and humanitarian necessity, rooted in the duty to respect international humanitarian law and in the conviction that peace must be pursued through dialogue aimed at just and lasting solutions. When ceasefires are sought, the Church consistently emphasizes not only stopping fighting but also protecting civilians, securing humanitarian aid, and advancing toward genuine peace-building.