During the Easter period, which symbolizes rebirth and hope, the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield failed to usher in real peace. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally announced a 24-hour ceasefire on April 20, the two sides immediately accused each other of launching hundreds of attacks, turning this "one-day truce" into a diplomatic gimmick. At the same time, the United States' patience with peace mediation is rapidly fading, and the Trump administration publicly warned that "meditation will be abandoned if there is no progress within a few days", highlighting that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has fallen into a deeper deadlock.
The continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the collapse of the Easter truce agreement have further exacerbated geopolitical uncertainty, and the signal that the United States may give up mediation has further reduced the market's expectations for easing the situation. Safe-haven funds have once again poured into the gold market. Spot gold fluctuated higher by more than $40 in early Asian trading on Monday (April 21), and once rose by more than 1.3% to $3,373.98/ounce, once again setting a new historical high.
The truce turned into a farce, with both sides accusing each other of thousands of attacks
The Russian Ministry of Defense accused the Ukrainian army of violating the agreement more than 1,000 times during the ceasefire, including 444 artillery attacks and more than 900 drone attacks, causing civilian casualties in the border area. Ukrainian President Zelensky hit back, saying that the Russian army launched 67 attacks on Easter Day alone, and ridiculed Moscow for "pretending to abide by the truce" while continuing to shell civilian facilities. Sporadic feedback from frontline soldiers and military blogs shows that although the frequency of exchanges of fire in some areas has decreased, it is far from reaching the ceasefire standard.
This "paper truce" exposed the deep-rooted mutual distrust between the two sides. Zelensky proposed a condition for extending the ceasefire for 30 days - requiring Russia to stop all drone and missile attacks, otherwise "it proves that it only wants to prolong the war"; the Kremlin insisted that "no order to extend the ceasefire" was received, and blamed the conflict on Ukraine's "destruction of infrastructure."
The US mediation is on the verge of bankruptcy, and European allies are worried
Faced with the continued confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, the US attitude has turned tough. President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio have successively stated that they will withdraw from mediation if they "see signs of progress within a few days." Rubio said bluntly: "We will not wait endlessly. If the differences are too great, we will stop here." This ultimatum reflects the White House's frustration with Russia's uncompromising position and confirms the previous concerns of European diplomats that the United States' expectations for a peace agreement have dropped to freezing point.
However, the Russian side is still trying to maintain the dialogue window. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said that "some progress has been made in the negotiations," but complained that contact with Washington was "extremely difficult." Subtly, cracks have also appeared in US-Ukraine relations. US officials are dissatisfied with Zelensky's criticism of Trump's special envoy for "spreading Russian narratives," believing that such remarks further hinder negotiations.
Summary: The disillusionment of the truce reflects the lack of peace and the possibility of a long-term conflict
The failure of the Easter truce not only reveals the lack of basic consensus between Russia and Ukraine, but also foreshadows the limitations of international mediation. When a one-day ceasefire is hard to achieve, Trump's optimistic statement of "reaching an agreement this week" is more like a political show. With military means unable to break the deadlock and diplomatic efforts on the verge of bankruptcy, the conflict is sliding into the abyss of a long-term war of attrition. The possible withdrawal of the United States may force Europe to bear more pressure to mediate, but without a peace plan supported by Washington, it is probably even more difficult to break the deadlock.
XAUUSD GOLD XAUUSD
The continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the collapse of the Easter truce agreement have further exacerbated geopolitical uncertainty, and the signal that the United States may give up mediation has further reduced the market's expectations for easing the situation. Safe-haven funds have once again poured into the gold market. Spot gold fluctuated higher by more than $40 in early Asian trading on Monday (April 21), and once rose by more than 1.3% to $3,373.98/ounce, once again setting a new historical high.
The truce turned into a farce, with both sides accusing each other of thousands of attacks
The Russian Ministry of Defense accused the Ukrainian army of violating the agreement more than 1,000 times during the ceasefire, including 444 artillery attacks and more than 900 drone attacks, causing civilian casualties in the border area. Ukrainian President Zelensky hit back, saying that the Russian army launched 67 attacks on Easter Day alone, and ridiculed Moscow for "pretending to abide by the truce" while continuing to shell civilian facilities. Sporadic feedback from frontline soldiers and military blogs shows that although the frequency of exchanges of fire in some areas has decreased, it is far from reaching the ceasefire standard.
This "paper truce" exposed the deep-rooted mutual distrust between the two sides. Zelensky proposed a condition for extending the ceasefire for 30 days - requiring Russia to stop all drone and missile attacks, otherwise "it proves that it only wants to prolong the war"; the Kremlin insisted that "no order to extend the ceasefire" was received, and blamed the conflict on Ukraine's "destruction of infrastructure."
The US mediation is on the verge of bankruptcy, and European allies are worried
Faced with the continued confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, the US attitude has turned tough. President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio have successively stated that they will withdraw from mediation if they "see signs of progress within a few days." Rubio said bluntly: "We will not wait endlessly. If the differences are too great, we will stop here." This ultimatum reflects the White House's frustration with Russia's uncompromising position and confirms the previous concerns of European diplomats that the United States' expectations for a peace agreement have dropped to freezing point.
However, the Russian side is still trying to maintain the dialogue window. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said that "some progress has been made in the negotiations," but complained that contact with Washington was "extremely difficult." Subtly, cracks have also appeared in US-Ukraine relations. US officials are dissatisfied with Zelensky's criticism of Trump's special envoy for "spreading Russian narratives," believing that such remarks further hinder negotiations.
Summary: The disillusionment of the truce reflects the lack of peace and the possibility of a long-term conflict
The failure of the Easter truce not only reveals the lack of basic consensus between Russia and Ukraine, but also foreshadows the limitations of international mediation. When a one-day ceasefire is hard to achieve, Trump's optimistic statement of "reaching an agreement this week" is more like a political show. With military means unable to break the deadlock and diplomatic efforts on the verge of bankruptcy, the conflict is sliding into the abyss of a long-term war of attrition. The possible withdrawal of the United States may force Europe to bear more pressure to mediate, but without a peace plan supported by Washington, it is probably even more difficult to break the deadlock.
XAUUSD GOLD XAUUSD 
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Continuously release precise trading plans to lead members to expand profits, with a stable profit of 988% every month. If you have not made a profit yet, then join us. t.me/fahsufnwks
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.