By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Sunday it would welcome the extension beyond Sunday of a one-day Easter ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin even as the Kremlin said earlier there was no order for an extension.
Both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of breaking the ceasefire. Putin announced a one-day ceasefire in Ukraine until midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT) on Sunday.
KEY QUOTES
"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."
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of the escalation risk of the three-year-old war launched by Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor and said he wants to end the war. However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday Washington will walk away from efforts to broker a peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress soon.
After the U.S. and Ukraine reached a memo of understanding on Thursday, Trump said he expected to sign a minerals deal with Kyiv in a week. An attempt in February fell apart following Zelenskiy’s Oval Office clash with Trump.
CONTEXT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was pretending to observe the Easter ceasefire, but had in fact continued hundreds of artillery attacks on Saturday night, with more assaults on Sunday. Russia’s Defence Ministry said Ukraine had broken the ceasefire, inflicting damage to infrastructure and civilians.
Putin has said he wants Ukraine to drop its NATO ambitions, permanently cede to Russia the four regions it has lost and limit the size of its army. Kyiv says those demands are tantamount to demanding its capitulation.