Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine, which went into effect on Thursday. According to the Kremlin, the pause in hostilities is intended as a test of Ukraine’s readiness for peace talks. But the gesture has been flatly rejected by Ukrainian officials, who described it as a public relations stunt aimed at deceiving international observers.
Ukrainian leaders say that similar so-called truces in the past have been used by Russian forces to regroup and rearm, rather than genuinely pursuing de-escalation. “This is not peace. It’s manipulation,” one Ukrainian official said in a press briefing. On the front lines, there were reports of continued shelling in parts of eastern Ukraine just hours after the truce was supposed to begin.
The international community is watching closely. While some countries have welcomed the announcement as a potential opening for diplomacy, others remain skeptical given the history of failed ceasefires and the ongoing destruction in contested areas. As the war grinds into yet another season, both sides appear locked in a struggle that diplomacy alone may not yet be able to resolve.
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