Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia against any potential breaches of the planned ceasefire on Saturday, shortly before the pause in fighting was due to begin.
He and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi set out the conditions for Ukraine’s response to any violation of the ceasefire, Zelensky said in a Telegram post.
“As long as there are no Russian attacks in the air, on land or at sea, there will be no response from our side,” he said.
The ceasefire is due to enter force at 4 pm (1300 GMT), as stipulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow also said it would respond to any potential violations by Ukrainian troops.
During previous ceasefires, both sides have repeatedly complained of violations.
“The Ukrainian army is prepared for any developments on the front line,” said Zelensky. He also reiterated his proposal to turn the ceasefire into a permanent one.
“A ceasefire at Easter could also mark the start of a genuine move towards peace – we have put forward a proposal to that effect,” he said. The initiative to extend the ceasefire had been handed over to the Russian side, he said.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a day earlier that hostilities would resume after the ceasefire expired at midnight on Sunday if Zelensky refused to accept Russia’s conditions for peace.
Peskov said that Russia wanted peace, not a ceasefire – meaning Kiev should withdraw its troops from the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. Moscow currently controls most of the region, but is demanding the final few kilometres – including the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, both of which are of strategic importance to Kiev – in exchange for an end to the war.
Zelensky has categorically refused to make such territorial concessions, viewing these as a gift to the Russian occupiers.