Zelensky: Easter brings hope for peace in Ukraine!

Zelensky: Easter brings hope for peace in Ukraine!

On April 20, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the public to emphasize the importance of Easter, the highest holiday for Christians in Ukraine. In his speech, he highlighted the people's faith and thanked Ukrainian men and women for their support during the difficult period of conflict with Russia. Zelensky sharply criticized the Russian government for faking a ceasefire at Easter and made it clear that Ukraine knows exactly what it is defending and fighting for. He wore a gray shirt with a traditional Ukrainian embroidery pattern, the vyshyvanka, and spoke of a future day of life and peace in Ukraine. According to the Kleine Zeitung, Vladimir Putin's unilateral 30-hour Easter ceasefire, which ran from 6 p.m. Saturday to midnight Sunday, was undermined by ongoing Russian attacks on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

Putin, who attended a service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow on Sunday, claimed to be praying for a lasting and just peace. The service was led by Patriarch Kirill, who described the invasion of Ukraine as a defensive struggle. President Putin justified his claim to Ukraine with the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians, which is traced back to Kievan Rus'. In contrast, Ukraine claims its own history and ties its identity to its 1991 independence.

First phone call between Zelensky and Putin

In a remarkable move, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin held a joint telephone conversation for the first time about the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has been going on for years. The initiative for the talks came from Kiev, while the Kremlin confirmed that various issues, including the situation in Donbass and the prisoner exchange, were discussed. According to gmx, a meeting between advisers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany was also planned for July 12 in Paris. While Putin has not yet congratulated Zelensky on his election, he has not ruled out a personal meeting.

Zelensky aims to quickly end the war in eastern Ukraine but needs a solid power base in parliament, especially after parliamentary elections scheduled for July 21. At the same time, the fighting in Donbass, which has claimed over 13,000 lives since 2014, remains a key issue affecting both Ukraine's domestic and foreign policy.

Historical context of the conflict

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has deep historical roots, dating back to the Kievan Rus' era. Historians such as Marc Bloch emphasize the complex identity development of Ukrainians as well as the historical mechanisms of oppression by the Russian Empire. Over centuries, Ukraine was influenced by various empires, including the Polish and the Ottoman, and was politically weak, resulting in a multicultural society. From the 19th century onwards, awareness of Ukrainian identity developed, which was characterized by regional and religious affiliations until the 20th century. These points are discussed in detail in the analysis on bpb.

Given this historical information, it becomes clear that the current situation in the Ukraine-Russia conflict is determined not only by geopolitical ambitions, but also by centuries-old social and cultural dynamics that continue to be at work. Resolving these conflicts therefore requires a deep understanding of the respective national identities and the historical contexts that have shaped them.