Ukraine offers Russia a 30-day air truce: Zelensky awaits Kremlin response

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has put forward a new initiative to reduce the intensity of hostilities, calling on the Russian Federation to cease missile and drone strikes on civilian targets for 30 days. The proposal is timed to coincide with the Easter period and is intended to be a gesture of humanity in the face of a protracted war.

The head of state stressed that the initiative is aimed solely at establishing a “silence” regime in the airspace, which would allow the civilian population to be protected at least temporarily. According to Zelensky, the absence of air alerts during the day in some territories of Ukraine indicates the realism and feasibility of this format of a temporary truce.

However, despite the proposed step towards de-escalation, Russia has not yet officially responded to Kyiv’s initiative. Zelensky stressed that Moscow’s silence on the call for a 30-day “air silence” only testifies to its unwillingness to change its aggressive course. He also mentioned the Russian side’s violation of its own Easter “truce”: according to the president, since the beginning of the day, Russia has violated its own declared ceasefire more than two thousand times.

“We respond in a mirror image: if there is silence, we support silence. If our cities are attacked, there will be our strikes in response,” Zelensky noted, emphasizing that Ukraine acts not in words, but in deeds, protecting its citizens.

The president separately emphasized that Ukraine’s proposal is not just a humanitarian initiative, but a test of the sincerity of the Kremlin’s intentions. If Russia really strives for peace or at least a reduction in the intensity of the war, it must agree to a cessation of air attacks for at least 30 days.

"The refusal will be yet another proof that Russia's goal is only to continue war, destruction, and terror," Zelenskyy concluded, leaving room for a response from the aggressor, but also clearly outlining that Ukraine's actions will be in line with the situation.