Paris says that Putin's sham Easter truce was marketing ploy aimed at Trump

Jean-Noël Barrot, France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, believes that the so-called Easter truce between Russia and Ukraine was a marketing ploy to secure the trust of US President Donald Trump.

As reported by Politico, Barrot noted that the sham temporary truce announced by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday 19 April – which Kyiv immediately and repeatedly accused Moscow of violating – was merely for show.

"The Easter truce that he [Putin] announced somewhat unexpectedly was a marketing operation, a charm operation aimed at preventing President Trump from becoming impatient and angry," Barrot told French radio network FranceInfo on Tuesday 22 April.

Russia has rejected a proposal for a complete ceasefire, instead putting forward a lengthy list of conditions to delay its implementation. The Kremlin has also repeatedly breached an earlier agreement not to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days.

Trump is reportedly growing increasingly doubtful about his chances of ending the war. He claims to be "very angry" with Putin, although he has also criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Meanwhile, on Monday 21 April, the US president announced that he would unveil the details of his proposed "peace plan" for the Ukraine war later this week.

According to The New York Post, Trump's plan envisions a ceasefire monitored by a joint commission made up of Ukraine, Russia and a non-NATO country.

On 23 April, the US, Ukraine and European allies are set to meet in London to discuss potential steps towards a ceasefire in the Russo-Ukrainian war.