Putin calls for an Easter ceasefire – skepticism is growing in Kyiv!

Putin calls for an Easter ceasefire – skepticism is growing in Kyiv!

Vladimir Putin today declared a unilateral ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict for Easter. This applies from 5:00 p.m. CEST on April 19th and is scheduled to last until Sunday, 11:00 p.m. CEST. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the ceasefire will only be observed if the Ukrainian armed forces also stop their attacks. Putin had previously met with Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov to find out about the situation at the front. In his speech, he wished the Russian soldiers a happy Easter and described the ceasefire decision as a humanitarian act, although the exact motives remain unclear. This development coincides with increased pressure from Washington, which is pushing for peace talks between the conflicting parties, while US President Donald Trump is demanding rapid progress and threatening sanctions if there is no willingness to compromise. vol.at reports that…

However, Putin's announcement caused skepticism in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky was critical of the ceasefire, pointing out that Ukraine was on air alert while Russian forces appeared to be continuing to carry out attacks on Ukrainian positions. A few hours before the ceasefire came into force, Russian combat drones were spotted over Ukraine. Despite the announcement, Kyiv has not yet received an official response from the Russian authorities. While the Ukrainian side pointed out that Russian attacks continued after the ceasefire began, Putin called on his troops to prepare for possible ceasefire violations. Tagesspiegel analyzes that...

Putin's tactics and reactions

Putin's ceasefire is seen by some as a tactical maneuver to avoid angering Trump and possibly buy time. During a press conference after a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow, Putin indicated that Russia was in principle ready to discuss a ceasefire. However, he also stressed that the ceasefire should not be used to regroup Ukrainian troops. This raises questions about what such monitoring and control of the ceasefire might look like. According to the Russian president, it would be necessary to ensure demilitarization of Ukraine and prevent the country from joining NATO. Tagesschau reports that…

In the general discussion about the ceasefire, the military situation remains tense. Russia still occupies around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and has given no reason to give up its territorial claims. There are also concerns that Russia remains in a dominant position militarily and may want to intentionally torpedo negotiations. The question remains whether the unilateral ceasefire will actually lead to an end to the fighting or just a brief pause in the conflict.