According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia has rejected the proposed ceasefire during the Orthodox Easter holiday. Selenskyj said this in his video message every Friday night. It shows what the Christian faith and one of the happiest and most important holidays means to Russia’s leaders, Zelenskyy said.
“But we will still hold out hope. The hope for peace, the hope that life will triumph over death,” Zelenskyy said.
Pope calls for ceasefire
Among other things, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in the Ukraine war in the run-up to Easter for Orthodox Christians this weekend. The Holy See and the Holy Father adhered to the appeal of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Svyatoslav Shevchuk, on Tuesday.
Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on April 24 this year. They are the largest religious group in Ukraine.