Putin Says He’s Ready for Talks While Russia Bombs Civilians and Resupplies

The Kremlin claimed on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to direct talks with Ukraine — but ruled out extending a ceasefire or halting strikes on civilian targets.

“We need Russia's willingness to talk about this. There are and will be no obstacles on the Ukrainian side,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reaffirming Ukraine’s offer to extend the Easter ceasefire and halt attacks on civilian infrastructure. 

Despite the supposed openness to peace, Russia launched deadly strikes across Ukraine on April 22:

• In Zaporizhzhia, Russian bombs killed one woman and injured 26 people, including four children.

• In Kharkiv and Kupiansk, drone and guided bomb attacks left at least 14 wounded.

• In Odesa, Russia launched a massive drone attack, injuring at least three. The drones mostly targeted civilian infrastructure along with educational institutions.

Meanwhile, on the southern frontline, Ukrainian forces report that Russia used the Easter truce to resupply ammunition.

“Only in the last 24 hours, we’ve recorded over 420 artillery strikes, a 25% increase compared to normal,” said Defense Forces South spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn.

“There were also more than 600 attacks using FPV and kamikaze drones. The enemy resupplied without interference, because we didn’t strike first — only responded.”

As The Gaze previously reported, despite the Easter ceasefire declared by Moscow, Russian forces have violated the truce nearly 3,000 times across the front line.

Russia has frequently claimed it is open to talks, but insists Ukraine must first lift its 2022 decree banning negotiations with Putin. No formal talks have taken place since the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Putin’s latest remarks come ahead of a new round of US-led peace discussions in London, where Ukraine is expected to respond to an American-backed proposal.