Russia-Ukraine: Vladimir Putin pushes ‘peace’ as fighting resumes, Donald Trump sparks NATO stir

Fighting in Ukraine has resumed following a brief Easter ceasefire, with Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring Moscow remains open to peace efforts — provided Kyiv shares the sentiment.

The pause in hostilities, declared unilaterally by Russia over the Easter holiday, was marred by mutual accusations of violations. Both sides reported thousands of strikes despite the truce, which Russia claimed was initiated in good faith.

“We always have a positive attitude towards a truce, which is why we came up with such an initiative, especially since we are talking about the bright Easter days,” Mr Putin said in a state television interview.

He added that Russia welcomed any peace initiative but expected Ukraine to reciprocate: “We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way.”

Washington had expressed support for an extended pause, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his country’s willingness to halt strikes on civilian infrastructure for 30 days. Mr Putin said Russia would need to “carefully study” the proposal.

Meanwhile, Moscow expressed satisfaction with recent comments from the United States ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine — a stance Kremlin officials say aligns with their core concerns.

“We have heard from Washington at various levels that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is excluded,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

“Of course, this is something that causes us satisfaction and coincides with our position.”

US envoy General Keith Kellogg confirmed on Sunday that NATO membership for Ukraine was “off the table” under a potential Trump administration. President Donald Trump has long positioned himself as a potential peace broker, blaming US support for Ukraine’s NATO bid as a key trigger of the conflict.

Mr Peskov described Ukrainian NATO membership as a “threat to Russian interests” and reaffirmed that it remains one of the war’s root causes.