Is Russia ready for Easter truce? Podolyak responds

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is ready for an Easter ceasefire, viewing it as a possible first step towards a more lasting peace. However, the President’s Office has emphasized that no agreements can involve territorial concessions or contradict the Constitution and international law.

Speaking to 24 Kanal, Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President, said that Russia is currently showing no readiness for a truce or any form of cessation of active hostilities. He stresses that Moscow continues to rely on attacks against civilian infrastructure as a primary instrument of war.

Podolyak also says that agreements with Russia are only possible if there is pressure from the international community.

"I simply do not understand how anyone can still have the illusion that effective negotiations with Russia can be conducted without coercion. How many wars has Russia started since the fall of the Soviet Union? One can negotiate with them, but only through coercion. Ukraine is gradually increasing the elements of this coercion, such as strikes on the oil industry," Podolyak noted.

The President’s Office added that for Russia, the war remains a means of maintaining its current system, and that its conclusion could spark internal crises within the country.

"Russia is not ready for any kind of life in peace. War is the only format for its continued existence. As soon as it ends, significant internal problems will emerge immediately. This will lead to Russia ceasing to exist in its current form," Podolyak concluded.