The Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Noël Barré, made a valuable and rather sharp statement regarding the so-called “Easter truce” declared by Russia, which, according to him, serves more as a marketing ploy than a genuine step toward peace in the war against Ukraine
In an interview with FranceInfo on Tuesday, the French diplomat described this Kremlin initiative as a “marketing operation” or, in his words, a “bait operation,” aimed not at a real cessation of hostilities, but at creating an illusion of progress and potentially gaining the trust of the United States, including President Donald Trump. Barré emphasized that the ceasefire announced by Vladimir Putin, which lasted only a few days, is mainly an informational provocation. According to him, this move was purely tactical — an attempt to create a positive image to distract the international community and domestic audiences from the real fighting and its scale. The minister pointed out that the main political motive of the Kremlin was to avoid provoking even greater disappointment and anger in the U.S., as fears about the war’s duration and scale grew in Washington and other Western capitals. As the source “European Pravda” cited from Politico notes, the Kremlin continues to be incapable of implementing its declared intentions regarding a complete ceasefire. Russia rejected the Ukrainian side’s proposal for an immediate and unconditional truce, presenting a long list of conditions that effectively delay or block its realization. Moreover, Russian forces repeatedly violated agreements not to strike Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which during a diplomatic search for peace, causes even longer delays and suspicion about Moscow’s true intentions. According to information received from Western sources, U.S. President Donald Trump is increasingly losing faith in the possibility of a quick and successful end to the war. His criticism of Russia’s actions and its leader, Vladimir Putin, is intensifying, while he also expresses dissatisfaction with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and claims that Putin is “angry” with him. Trump openly states that he seeks to achieve peace and end the conflict, and has announced that he will present details of his “peace plan” for Ukraine later this week. According to sources from the American newspaper The New York Post, Trump’s initiative involves creating a joint international commission including Ukraine, Russia, and neutral countries to coordinate the ceasefire process and initiate negotiations. This mechanism would oversee the implementation of the ceasefire in such a way as to prevent provocations and violations from both sides. A significant diplomatic event will be the meeting scheduled for April 23 in London. There, the U.S., Ukraine, and key European allies will discuss further steps to achieve peace and stabilize the situation surrounding the Ukraine-Russia conflict. This meeting is expected to become an important platform for developing new cooperation and exploring ways to overcome the crisis, which for over a year has been destroying lives, wrecking infrastructure, and creating unpredictable geopolitical consequences for the entire region. Overall, the situation remains tense and volatile. While the international community monitors Russia’s recent statements and tactics, the main question remains — when and how will a genuine, comprehensive peace be achieved, rather than mere declarative “ceasefires,” which frequently appear and disappear, leaving behind destruction and human tragedies.