U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called for a four-day cease-fire in Ukraine to coincide with the Orthodox Christian Holy Week and Easter.
Guterres launched an effort for a possible humanitarian cease-fire late last month, so far without wide agreement.
Guterres said a four-day pause this week would allow the evacuation of civilians, a plea he made as Russian forces have launched an offensive effort in the country’s eastern Donbas region. He said a halt would also allow desperately needed humanitarian aid to reach hard-hit areas like Mariupol, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.
“Save lives. Stop the bloodshed and destruction. Open a window for dialogue and peace. Keep faith with the meaning and the message of Easter,” Guterres said.
The proposed pause would be from Holy Thursday through Easter on Sunday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted his support, NBC News reports.
