Russia made the unilateral ceasefire offer after it effectively rejected a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States and accepted by Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha challenged Moscow to agree to a ceasefire that “is real, not just for a parade.”

After Mr Putin declared the move on Saturday 19 April, Ukraine responded by voicing readiness to reciprocate any genuine ceasefire but said the Russian attacks continued. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times.