Early roundups as I’ll be travelling during the day tomorrow, hopefully part two will follow this afternoon/evening
Live:Ukraine
🔹 WSJ: Putin’s “Easter ceasefire” is a minor diplomatic victory for the Kremlin
Just one day after the Trump administration threatened to withdraw from its ceasefire efforts in Ukraine, Putin announced a so-called “Easter truce” lasting 30 hours.
According to the Wall Street Journal, this move signals a potential shift away from Putin’s earlier demands to resolve what he calls the “root causes” of the war before agreeing to a pause in hostilities.
In March, Ukraine had accepted a U.S. proposal for a full and immediate 30-day halt to fighting. However, Putin rejected that initiative, calling instead for further discussion about a final end to the war. At the time, he argued that any pause in fighting would benefit Ukraine, as Russia was “winning” on the battlefield, and claimed that a ceasefire must be preceded by resolving numerous issues.
❗️Russia staged provocations in Donetsk to accuse Ukraine of violating the so-called “Easter ceasefire” it had announced, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation.
The Kremlin claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly shelled Donetsk, Shebekino in Belgorod Oblast, Kursk oblast, territory of the so-called “LPR,” and launched attacks in the Pokrovsk and Zaporizhzhia directions.
The goal, according to the CCD, is to portray Putin as a peacekeeper and present Ukraine as allegedly unwilling to pursue peace.
▪️Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that in the first six hours of the “Easter ceasefire,” the Russian army carried out 387 shellings, 19 assaults, and used drones 290 times.
🔸 Russians are using the temporary ceasefire to clear the crossing over the Chornyi Zherebets River in Donetsk Oblast of their destroyed equipment, which was obstructing their assault operations — DeepState.
🔹 “To war-ravaged Ukraine, may Christ grant His Easter gift of peace and encourage all parties to achieve a just and lasting peace,” — read the Pope’s assistant during the Easter address.
🔸 ❗️Putin did not give orders to extend the “Easter truce,” reports TASS, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha noted that Russia’s actions after midnight on April 21 and throughout the coming week will reveal Moscow’s true attitude toward U.S. peace efforts and the proposal for a 30-day full ceasefire.
“They will show whether Russia is serious about peace or whether Putin’s statements yesterday were just manipulations,” said Sybiha.
❗️Ukraine proposes a halt to all long-range drone and missile strikes on civilian infrastructure for at least 30 days, with the possibility of extension — Zelensky.
Since the beginning of the day, the Russian army has violated Putin’s ceasefire more than 2,000 times: 67 assaults and 1,355 shellings.
🔹 Trump’s team is already tired of the war in Ukraine
The war has gone on for too long, said Trump’s special representative Keith Kellogg on Fox News.