Putin then accused the Western defensive alliance, Nato, of trying to gain a foothold in Ukraine to bring its troops closer to Russia's borders. As he responded to Putin's truce announcement, Zelensky urged Russia to commit to a 30-day ceasefire rather than a 30-hour pause.

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for breaking an Easter ceasefire announced by Vladimir Putin, with both sides accusing the other of carrying out attacks.

Putin declared a unilateral truce to begin at 6 p.m. Moscow time. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said “Russian artillery fire has not subsided.”