French FM: Putin’s “Easter truce” is charm operation designed to placate Trump

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot characterized Russia’s recent proposal for an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine as a “marketing operation” rather than a genuine peace effort.

Russia has a long-standing record of violating ceasefire agreements — from the consistent breaches of the Minsk accords in 2014 and 2015 to a violation of a 30-day “energy truce” negotiated by the US in March 2025.

The ceasefire, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was set to begin at 6 p.m. Moscow time on 19 April and conclude at midnight on 20 April. However, Ukrainian officials reported continued Russian artillery fire, ground assaults and airstrikes during this period.

Ukrainian Major Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Grouping, reported that while combat intensity decreased by two to three times, Russian troops used this period to rotate units and stage provocations. 

The ceasefire announcement came just two days after high-level negotiations in Paris involving Ukraine, the US, France, Britain, and Germany regarding potential pathways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. During these talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that the Trump administration might halt negotiation efforts if key issues remained unresolved in the coming weeks. President Trump also signaled a potential withdrawal from mediation efforts if no progress is achieved soon,

“The Easter ceasefire, which he somewhat unexpectedly announced, was a marketing operation, a charm operation aimed at preventing President Trump’s impatience and anger,” Barrot stated, according to Franceinfo.

When questioned about the timeline for a potential peace agreement, Barrot redirected responsibility to Moscow, noting that Ukraine has demonstrated flexibility by proposing a ceasefire at sea, in the air, and targeting energy infrastructure based on a Franco-British proposal more than a month ago.

“The Ukrainians have shown courage and a spirit of compromise,” Barrot said, pointing to Ukraine’s acceptance of an American proposal for a general 30-day ceasefire, while Russia refused it.

Zelenskyy also criticized Russia for attempting to create a superficial impression of a ceasefire while persisting with targeted attacks. He reiterated Ukraine’s readiness to extend the truce for 30 days, contingent upon Russia’s full compliance with ceasefire conditions.

On 20 April, Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he hoped for a deal between Russia and Ukraine “this week”. Jean-Noel Barrot meanwhile noted that discussions between the Ukrainian, American and European delegations would continue in London on 23 April, following up on the discussions that took place on 17 April in Paris.

On 21 April, during a briefing, Vladimir Putin cynically claimed that Russia is supposedly open to “all peace initiatives” aimed at ending the war against Ukraine and expects a “similar response” from Kyiv, according to the propaganda outlet TASS.