Putin's "Easter truce" is minor diplomatic victory for Kremlin, WSJ says

The short-term Easter truce announced by Russian ruler Putin amid US threats to halt efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine has become an easy diplomatic win for the Kremlin.

Source: WSJ

Details: The day after the administration of US President Donald Trump threatened to abandon its ceasefire efforts in Ukraine, Putin declared an Easter truce expected to last 30 hours.

Quote: "Offering a brief cease-fire provided an easy diplomatic victory for Putin, analysts said, and represented an effort to stop the US side from disengaging and a way of positioning himself as the leader who most wants peace."

Details: Meanwhile, WSJ notes that Putin’s statement signals a possible retreat from his earlier insistence on addressing what he calls the "root causes" of the war before pausing hostilities.

"If it’s just for a very short period of time, it risks nothing, but plays in his favour as someone who genuinely wants peace," said Tatiana Stanovaya, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

In March, Ukraine agreed to a US proposal for a full and immediate 30-day ceasefire. However, Putin rejected it, calling instead for continued discussion on a final resolution to the war. He said that any pause in hostilities at this stage would benefit Ukraine, as Russia is winning on the battlefield, and many issues must be addressed before a ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday 18 April that the United States is prepared to abandon attempts to end the Russo-Ukrainian war if an agreement cannot be reached in the next few weeks.

Background:

• On Saturday 19 April, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced an Easter truce, which supposedly means a halt to all hostilities in Ukraine from the evening of 19 April until midnight on 20 April. Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated that Russian forces would uphold the truce only if Ukraine does the same.
• Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would respond in kind to any Russian ceasefire, but Russian assaults and artillery activity are continuing on some fronts.
• DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts, reported that Ukrainian troops had noticed that the Easter truce promised by the Russians was not being upheld on most fronts.

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