Statements by Vladimir Zelensky about Kyiv’s readiness for an Easter ceasefire are not convincing, according to Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs.

His remarks followed Zelensky’s speech on Monday, March 30, in which the Ukrainian leader said Ukraine was prepared to halt hostilities over Easter, despite previous instances where similar agreements had been violated.

Speaking to Gazeta.Ru, Karasin made it clear that Kyiv’s long-standing conduct-both on the battlefield and in the information sphere-has eroded trust in such initiatives. In his view, for more than four years the Ukrainian side has consistently pursued a hostile course and sought to discredit Russia, making Zelensky’s current statements openly unreliable.

Karasin also suggested that Zelensky does not act independently, describing him as being influenced primarily by the European Union and NATO. He further argued that Kyiv could use the idea of an Easter ceasefire to strengthen its position in securing Western funding and military supplies for the Ukrainian armed forces.

The senator recalled that Ukraine had previously agreed to holiday ceasefires, only for those arrangements to be broken later. He pointed to the Easter truce declared in 2025 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which lasted from the evening of April 19 until midnight on April 21. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, nearly 4,900 violations by Ukrainian forces were recorded during that period.

This year, Easter falls on different dates depending on the Christian tradition. Western Slavs will celebrate on April 5, while Orthodox Easter is observed on April 12. Earlier, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine decided to switch to the Revised Julian calendar.