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Russia has resumed its brutal aerial attack on Ukraine after claiming it ‘strictly observed’ Easter ceasefire
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Russian president Vladimir Putin has for the first time proposed direct peace talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Putin has previously claimed he would only negotiate peace with Ukraine if the country held elections to form a new government, having repeatedly made false claims that Mr Zelensky is an illegitimate leader despite his election in 2019.
The Russian autocrat has suggested face-to-face talks for the first time since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, with Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a quick ceasefire deal have failed to bear fruit.
Mr Trump said Russia and Ukraine can do “big business” with Washington if they reach a deal. “Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week,” the US president wrote on Truth Social over the weekend.
It comes as representatives from Ukraine, the UK, France and the US were set to meet in London on Wednesday to continue talks on a potential ceasefire.
While Mr Zelensky did not directly respond to Mr Putin’s proposal, he emphasised in his nightly video address that Ukraine “was ready for any conversation” that would stop strikes on civilians.
“Actions always speak louder than words,” he posted on X.
There are no obstacles on the Ukrainian side when it comes to peace talks, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.
His comments came after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said some details need to be figured out before a Kyiv-proposed halt on strikes on civilian sites were to be put in place.
“Ukraine proposed to extend the ceasefire after Easter and make it comprehensive,” Mr Zelensky said.
“Our proposal to halt strikes on civilian infrastructure remains on the table as well. What’s needed is genuine readiness from Russia to engage in this conversation.
“There are and will be no impasses on the Ukrainian side,” he added.
A state of emergency was declared in Russia’s Vladimir region east of Moscow after an explosion on Tuesday, the TASS state news agency said, citing emergency services.
It is unclear what was hit or whether there were any casualties after the explosion, which Telegram channels close to Russia’s security services say occurred near a weapons arsenal close to the village of Barsovo.
Vladimir’s regional governor Alexander Avdeev said earlier that an explosion had occurred in the Kirzhach district and emergency personnel were working at the scene. He made no mention of what was hit and if there were any casualties.
The progress of the Russian military against Ukraine has slowed down in 2025, UK defence secretary John Healey has said in a statement to the House of Commons.
“I can confirm Russian military progress is slowing,” Mr Healey said. “Putin gained less territory in March than he did in February, less territory in February than he did in January.”
“Ukrainian troops have still not been ejected from Russian territory in Kursk”, he added.
Russian forces broke the 30-hour Easter truce, UK defence secretary John Healey told the House of Commons.
Mr Healey is currently giving a statement to the Commons on the situation in Ukraine and efforts towards peace.
“Despite president Putin’s promise of a 30-hour pause in fighting, I can confirm that defence intelligence have found, and I quote, ‘no indication’ that a ceasefire on the frontline was observed over the Easter period.
“10,000 missiles and drones have been fired into Ukraine during this year alone, including from the Black Sea.”
He added: “So while has said he declared an Easter truce, he broke it. While Putin has says he wants peace, he’s rejected a full ceasefire, and while Putin says he wants to put an end to the fighting, he continues to play for time in negotiations.
“And the Russian military continue to pressure Ukraine on a number of fronts.”
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Russia this week, according to Russian state media.
“We are expecting him,” said Yuri Ushakov, aid to Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, told Interfax news agency according to European Pravda.
Mr Witkoff has been to Russia three times and has met with Mr Putin amid US efforts to force a quick ceasefire in Ukraine. His next visit will take place as US, Ukraine and European countries meet in London on Thursday 23 April to discuss steps towards ending the war.
Donald Trump wanted nothing to do with Ukraine during his first stint as US president from 2017 until 2021, his former adviser has said.
“Right from the very beginning, president Trump wanted nothing to do with Ukraine,” Fiona Hill, who advised on European and Russian Affairs during Mr Trump’s first stint, said.
“In his first phone call with [former German chancellor] Angela Merkel, she most famously asked him, ‘Donald, what are you going to do about Ukraine?’” Ms Hill said.
“[Trump] said, ‘No, Angela, it’s got nothing to do with me, what are you going to do about Ukraine?’
“And he’s been very consistent with his idea of trying to distance himself from the war in Ukraine, and frankly equally consistent in his desire to reset the Russian relationship with the US.”
Donald Trump is determined to form a “close friendship” with Russian president Vladimir Putin, the US president’s former foreign policy advisor has said.
“I wouldn’t say that they’re friends but president Trump is determined to turn that relationship into a close friendship with Putin,” said Fiona Hill, who in Mr Trump’s first stint served as an advisor on European and Russian Affairs within the National Security Council.
“That has highly personalised the presidency in a way that previous presidents haven’t managed to do,” Ms Hill said, speaking to an online conference held by the Brookings Institution think tank.
“He is unbridled now in his ability to put these things into action. The first time round, he had a lot of obstacles, there was a sense that somehow the Russians had got him elected into the White House which actually wasn’t the case.
“But there was a prevailing sense, there was backlash from Congress about any kind of effort to have a rapprochement with Russia because of [alleged] Russian interference with the elections,” she added.
Spain will meet Nato’s spending target of 2 per cent GDP on defence this year, prime minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.
This comes far earlier than its self-imposed deadline of 2029, for a country which spent just 1.3 per cent on defence in 2024 – the lowest among Nato members.
Other European countries are under pressure from the Trump administration to lift military spending to as high as 5 per cent, with Washington reluctant to continue funding Kyiv in the war in Ukraine.
Mr Sanchez said he would meet the goal through additional spending of 10.47 billion euros (£8.98 billion), with a focus on increasing the size of its military, telecommunications, cybersecurity and procurement of military equipment.
“This plan will help us meet (the target) in record time,” Mr Sanchez said. “Spain will contribute to defending Europe.”
Vladimir Putin, speaking to a Russian state TV reporter, said Moscow was open to any peace initiatives and raised the prospect of direct talks with Kyiv for the first time in years.
There have been no direct talks between the two sides since the early weeks after Mr Putin ordered his forces to invade their European neighbour in February 2022.
“We have always talked about this, that we have a positive attitude towards any peace initiatives. We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way,” Mr Putin told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, quoted later by Interfax news agency, told reporters: “When the president said that it was possible to discuss the issue of not striking civilian targets, including bilaterally, the president had in mind negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side.”
A Russian journalist facing up to a decade in prison for criticising the army has escaped house arrest and is wanted by police, Russian state media has reported.
Ekaterina Barabash, 63, was arrested in February on suspicion of spreading false information about the Russian military on social media.
Authorities were alerted to her disappearance on 13 April by an electronic monitoring system, AFP cited Tass state news agency as saying.
“The accused has been declared wanted,” the Moscow branch of Russia’s federal penitentiary service said according to Tass.
Barabash had been critical of the army while writing for multiple news outlets, and on Facebook accused them of having “razed whole cities to the ground”.
Criticising the army and its operations in Ukraine was made illegal shortly after Moscow’s invasion began, and authorities have launched thousands of cases against those it deemed critical.
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Ukraine latest: Putin U-turns on peace talks with Trump pushing for deal ‘this week’ – The Independent
