Italian
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on Saturday that Russian artillery continues to strike Ukrainian territory, despite the Kremlin’s declaration of an “Easter truce.”
UKRAINE. “According to the reports from the commander-in-chief, Russian assault operations continue on different sectors of the front, and the enemy artillery fire has not ceased,” wrote Zelenskyy on X. “Therefore, there is no trust in the words coming from Moscow.”
The Ukrainian president recalled that Russia rejected a U.S. proposal last month for a 30-day complete ceasefire. However, he added, if Moscow were to accept a total and unconditional silence, Ukraine would do the same: “If a complete ceasefire were to materialize, Ukraine proposes to extend it beyond Easter Sunday on April 20th.”
Zelenskyy’s statement comes just hours after a surprise announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who declared a temporary ceasefire from Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Moscow time until midnight on Sunday for “humanitarian considerations.” Putin stated that it was a test to see if the “Kyiv regime” was truly interested in peace.
The announcement was made live on the Russian state TV during a meeting between Putin and the Commander-in-Chief Valery Gerasimov. However, the announcement has raised skepticism among Ukrainians, also because it came right as an air raid alert was sounding in the Kyiv region.
“This is not the first time that Russia has declared a ceasefire only to violate it immediately afterwards,” wrote Anton Gerashchenko on X, current advisor and former deputy minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Since the first masked invasion of Donbass in 2014, Moscow has repeatedly breached negotiated ceasefires.
Meanwhile, news has emerged that could anger Kiev: according to sources reported by Bloomberg, the Trump administration is reportedly considering recognizing Crimea as Russian territory as part of a mediation attempt.
The issue of Crimea remains central. In 2014, Russia militarily occupied the peninsula and then organized a referendum, in which – according to official data from Moscow – the majority of the inhabitants expressed their desire to join the Russian Federation. Shortly after, the Kremlin declared the annexation of Crimea to its own territory.
However, this annexation is not recognized by the vast majority of the international community, which considers it a violation of international law and Ukrainian sovereignty. Ukraine and many other countries denounce the referendum as illegitimate, as it took place under military occupation and without democratic guarantees.
At the same time, it is true that a significant part of the population of Crimea speaks Russian and identifies culturally with Russia. Some analysts and jurists believe that, in respect of the principle of self-determination of peoples, a new democratic and verifiable process could one day be envisaged to allow the inhabitants of the peninsula to freely choose their own future. But only in the absence of armed forces and under international supervision.
Donald Trump, speaking on Friday, stated that the United States could “walk away” if the two parties do not reach an agreement: “If one of you makes things difficult, we will say you are fools. Terrible fools. And we will walk away,” he said.
According to rumors, negotiations will continue next week in London. Diplomatic sources suggest that Washington is pushing for a favorable agreement to the Kremlin, which would include Russia maintaining control of the occupied areas in southern and eastern Ukraine, as well as Crimea. There is also reportedly consideration being given to lifting some sanctions against Moscow and other economic concessions.
Meanwhile, fighting continues in Ukraine. In Sumy, in the northeast of the country, civilians affected by a recent missile attack speak of a “night of terror,” while rescuers continue to dig through the rubble. For them, the word “ceasefire” remains nothing but a fiction.
