Putin Open to Ukraine Talks After Shaky Easter Ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was open to bilateral negotiations with Ukraine for the first time in years after a fraught 30-hour Easter ceasefire. The ceasefire was unilaterally declared by Moscow on Saturday and only partially observed, with both sides accusing each other of attacking before and after the truce. Kiev originally called the ceasefire a PR stunt, but later asked to extend the break into an actual 30 days.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed his troops would “mirror” Russia, ceasefires with restraint; strikes with strikes. The United States viewed extending the ceasefire cautiously but President Donald Trump now has progressively shifted toward favoring concessions and pushing for more rapid progress in stalled peace talks. Last month Russia rejected a U.S.-backed 30-day ceasefire supported by Ukraine, agreeing only to limited pauses aimed at energy infrastructure, a deal both sides now accuse the other of violating.

Putin stated that Russia is "open to any peace initiatives,” although he hasn’t wavered in his demands that Ukraine must cede territories that are historically Russian and must adopt permanent neutrality. Kiev has rejected such terms as capitulation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expounded upon Putin’s instruction to represent "bilateral talks" but did not propose any deadline, and reiterated Moscow's ongoing diplomatic relations with Washington.

Despite the Easter pause, Russia’s Defense Ministry recordec over 900 Ukrainian drone attacks and hundreds of artillery strikes, with civilian casualties claimed.