Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russia President Vladimir Putin's call for an Easter ceasefire, saying he continues to "play with human lives" as Ukrainian air defense units were repelling an attack by Russian drones on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Putin announced a temporary ceasefire between the two nations that would last from 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday to midnight following Easter Sunday. Zelenskyy noted the sight of Russian drones in the air well after Putin's proposed time.
"I have just received a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Today, our forces continued their activity on the territory of the Kursk region and are holding their positions. In the Belgorod region, our warriors have advanced and expanded our zone of control. As for yet another attempt by Putin to play with human lives—at this moment, air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine," Zelenskyy posted on X Saturday morning.
"At 17:15, Russian attack drones were detected in our skies. Ukrainian air defense and aviation have already begun working to protect us. Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin's true attitude toward Easter and toward human life," Zelenskyy added.
The chances of a prolonged ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine appear to be dwindling as Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday that the U.S. was ready to walk away.
"We're not going to continue to fly all over the world and do meeting after meeting after meeting if no progress is being made," Rubio said.