BS EDIT: Putin’s ceasefire: Peace offer or power play?

By Business StandardPublished On Mar 20, 2025

The ceasefire announcement

Russia offers a 30-day pause on attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid

Hours later, a major air raid hits Slovyansk, leaving 100,000 without power

Ukraine sees it as a deception, not a step toward peace

Russia’s ceasefire conditions

Stop all foreign military aid to Ukraine

No US or European security guarantees for Kyiv

Favourable for Russia, leaving Ukraine defenceless

Who benefits?

Russia avoids Ukrainian drone strikes on its refineries

Black Sea ceasefire helps Moscow regain lost ground

No real concessions from Russia—just strategic advantage

Europe’s response

France & Germany back Ukraine’s “war of resistance.”

NATO allies boost defences, withdrawing from landmine ban

Europe sees Putin’s offer as a divisive ploy

The bigger strategy

Putin wants direct talks with the US, sidelining Ukraine

Aims to weaken US-EU support for Kyiv

Trump’s stance adds to the uncertainty

What’s at stake?

Global stability and the future of Ukraine’s resistance

Putin’s next move: peace or escalation?