Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for dictator Vladimir Putin, said
Russia “wants not a ceasefire, but lasting peace.” He also claimed that “peace
can come today” if Ukraine’s president “takes responsibility and makes a
certain decision.”
Peskov did not specify what decision he meant. Earlier,
however, he had said Ukraine must withdraw its troops from the parts of Donetsk
Oblast Russia still does not control.
Russian propaganda agencies TASS and RIA Novosti had earlier
reported that Putin had declared an “Easter ceasefire” from 4 p.m. on April 11
until the end of April 12.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready for
reciprocal steps and that Russia “has a chance not to return to strikes after
Easter.”
Zelenskyy said on March 30 that he was ready for any format
of ceasefire, including over Easter.
Commenting on the Ukrainian president’s ceasefire proposal
on March 31, Peskov said Russia had “not seen a clearly formulated initiative.”
During a conversation with Pope Leo XIV on April 3,
Zelenskyy said Russia had escalated over Easter, attacking Ukraine with
hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles after his ceasefire proposal.
On April 6, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to halt strikes
on Russia’s energy sector in kind if Russia stopped attacking Ukrainian energy
infrastructure.