"Based on humanitarian considerations ... the Russian side announces an Easter truce," Putin said at a televised meeting on Saturday with Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia's General Staff.
"I order a stop to all military activities for this period," he added, as cited by the Reuters news agency.
"We assume that Ukraine will follow our example," Putin was also quoted as saying. "At the same time, our troops should be prepared to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations by the enemy, any aggressive actions."
The announcement came after Washington said it could abandon peace mediation efforts unless Moscow and Kyiv show they are ready to stop the war, the Reuters news agency reported.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Moscow's message as "yet another attempt by Putin to play with human lives."
"Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life," Zelensky said in a post on X, referring to Iranian-made attack drones used by Russia in the war against his country.
The United States has proposed easing sanctions on Russia as part of efforts to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, according to reports this weekend.
The US State Department said on Thursday that the Trump administration had outlined its peace proposal to all involved parties, describing it as a plan for a "durable and lasting peace."
It added that peace was possible if all sides committed to an agreement.
Moscow has maintained that Kyiv must recognise the annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia and give up its aspirations to join NATO—conditions Ukraine has repeatedly rejected.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Saturday is day 1,150 of Russia's war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters