Putin quits fire break for Easter - Ukraine remains skeptical!

Putin quits fire break for Easter - Ukraine remains skeptical!

Kiew, Ukraine - On April 19, 2025, Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced a one -sided fire break for the Easter holidays. This should apply from Saturday at 5:00 p.m. CEST to Sunday at 11:00 p.m. CEST. Putin justifies the fire break with "humanitarian reasons" and calls Ukraine to comply with the ceasefire. In the crucial minutes before the announcement, however, the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj reported Russian attacks, which questions Putin's credibility. In Kiev, a rocket alarm sounded at the time of the announcement, which increases the concerns in Ukraine.

Selenskyj has signaled that Ukraine would be ready for a ceasefire, but only if Russia also sticks to it. In the event of an incident just 45 minutes before the fire break came into force, Selenskyj reported Russian combat drones in Ukrainian airspace and criticized Putin's announcement as "Finte". This skepticism is nourished by memory of an earlier one -sided fire break in January 2023, which was not taken seriously by Kiev.

reactions and international perspectives

The reactions to Putin's announcement are mixed. While the Russian Ministry of Defense indicates that the ceasefire is observed, provided that the Ukrainian armed forces do so, many western states remain skeptical. The European Union calls for a consistent end to aggression on the part of Russia, while Great Britain is aiming for a complete ceasefire and not just wanting to accept a one -day break. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also warned that the US peace efforts are also in danger without progress in the negotiations.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha expressed that Ukraine could not expect any guarantees for the peace of Russia and pointed out Putin's unreliability. This concern is reinforced by the fact that Russia continues to be completely under control. Although peace talks are sought, it becomes clear that the political and military situation remains tense.

Putin's conditions and future developments

Putin has also presented conditions for an end to the war that include a withdrawal of Ukraine from four annexed areas and the task of their NATO accession plans. These demands were rejected by the Ukrainian government as unacceptable because they conflict with their goal of reaching NATO. Ukraine has also launched a peace conference in Switzerland in which it wants to mobilize international support while Russia is not invited and is therefore left out.

Overall, it remains unclear which strategic goals Putin follow with the current fire break. The military and diplomatic tensions between Russia and Ukraine remain high and the fate of the conflict is still on the brink.

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