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.

Source: Politico, a Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation, as reported by European Pravda

Details: 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.

Background: 

• 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.

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