Putin's 'Easter truce' sparks skepticism amid ongoing clashes
The sudden announcement of an "immediate truce" by Vladimir Putin on Holy Saturday surprised the world. Experts, however, see it not as a gesture of goodwill but as a political maneuver that may harm the idea of peace more than support it.
According to CNN, if Ukraine's allies needed evidence of Moscow's extreme cynicism regarding peace, "the announcement of an immediate truce for Easter provided just that."
The truce announcement came just a few hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump stated that in the coming days they would need an urgent signal that the Kremlin is serious about peace.
For Russia's supporters, President Vladimir Putin's Saturday statement might have seemed like a nod to Trump. However, CNN notes that the sudden declaration is so full of practical shortcomings that it will likely only be used by Putin to maintain the false narrative that Kyiv does not want to end the war.
"It will be a logistical nightmare for Ukraine’s forces to suddenly, immediately stop fighting at Putin’s behest. Some frontline positions may be in the middle of fierce clashes when this order comes through, and a cessation of this nature likely requires days of preparation and readiness," claims CNN.
The network assesses that disinformation will undoubtedly cause chaos among soldiers: it will not be clear how the truce is to be executed, how to report violations, or how to respond to them, and even what to do when the ceasefire ends.
"It is possible this moment will prove a rare sign that both sides can stop violence for a short period. But it is significantly more likely they will both use violations and confusion to show their opponent cannot be trusted. As of Saturday evening local time, Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes had continued in frontline areas," adds CNN.
On Sunday morning, both sides accused each other of shelling Donetsk. Plumes of smoke appeared over the city, and explosions were heard.
CNN reminds us that a previous 30-day truce concerning attacks on energy infrastructure also originated under conditions of "complete chaos".
The White House announced that it included "energy and infrastructure," whereas the Kremlin stated that it immediately halted attacks on "energy infrastructure," and Ukraine reported that the ceasefire began a week later than the Kremlin claimed.
A real truce requires negotiations with the opponent and preparations for it to materialize.
"The sudden rush of this seems designed entirely to placate White House demands for some sign that Russia is willing to stop fighting. It will likely feed Trump’s at-times pro-Moscow framing of the conflict. It may also cause complexities for Ukraine when they are inevitably accused of violating what Washington may consider to be a goodwill gesture by Moscow," concludes CNN.
