Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that hostilities have resumed in Ukraine following a temporary Easter ceasefire, despite Moscow’s continued openness to peace negotiations.
Speaking in a televised address, Putin emphasized that Russia maintains a “positive attitude” toward truce efforts and expects a similar approach from the Ukrainian government.
“We always have a positive attitude towards a truce, which is why we came up with such an initiative, especially since we are talking about the bright Easter days,” Putin said. “We have always talked about this, that we have a positive attitude towards any peace initiatives. We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way.”
Hobnob News reports that both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of violating the Kremlin’s unilateral ceasefire during the Easter period, with claims of thousands of strikes from both sides.
The brief pause in fighting had drawn international attention. The United States had earlier expressed support for an extension of the truce, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness to suspend strikes on civilian infrastructure for a period of 30 days.
Putin noted that Russia is reviewing Kyiv’s proposals and those from international partners. “Russia has to carefully study this and other proposals,” he added.
The resumption of hostilities comes amid growing diplomatic calls for de-escalation, as the war in Ukraine grinds into another year with no clear resolution in sight.
