Kremlin responds to Trump’s call for peace deal between Russia and Ukraine within a week
The Kremlin is open to a “peaceful resolution” to the war
against Ukraine, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told
state-run outlet TASS on April 21, responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s
claim that a deal could be reached this week.
“President Putin and the Russian side remain open to the
search for a peaceful settlement and continue working with the American side.
And of course, we hope this work will bear fruit,” Peskov said, commenting on Trump’s
statement.
Trump previously expressed hope that a deal between Ukraine
and Russia could be signed within the week. He claimed such an agreement would
open up new economic prospects for both countries.
Putin’s ‘Easter ceasefire’
Earlier, Putin ordered all hostilities to halt from 6 p.m.
on April 19 until midnight on April 21.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the
announcement by noting that as early as 5:15 p.m., Russian strike drones were
already flying over Ukrainian territory — a move he said revealed the
dictator’s true attitude toward both Easter and human life. Zelenskyy called
the statement “another attempt to toy with people’s lives” and said Ukrainian
air defense and aviation had already begun countering the attack.
Later,
Zelenskyy said he would agree to a ceasefire if “complete silence truly
prevails,” adding that Ukraine would respond in kind. He also proposed
extending the truce beyond Easter if Russia held its fire.
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also weighed
in on Putin’s so-called “Easter ceasefire,” stressing that “Ukraine measures
words by actions, not declarations.”
According to reports, Russia did reduce shelling in certain
parts of the front line. The BBC reported that Ukrainian troops were ordered to
cease fire shortly after Putin’s announcement.
Still, Ukraine’s General Staff said on April 20 that despite
the declared ceasefire, there had been 45 combat clashes on the front line as
of 4 p.m. that day.
That evening, the U.S. State Department said it supported
extending the one-day “Easter ceasefire,” even though the Kremlin insisted no
extension had been authorized.
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