FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

France Info led with 'absolute cynicism' the moment Ukraine's ceasefire took effect, reprising Zelensky's phrase to describe the Russian strikes that immediately followed. French outlets stressed the timeline: Kyiv announced the truce the night before, Russia struck before the hour, then again after. That sequence is presented as proof that Moscow never intended to respond to Ukraine's initiative.

Le Monde and RFI covered the story live, noting that strikes on May 5 — before the formal truce window — had already killed more than 20 people across several Ukrainian regions. France 24 broadcast footage of the Sumy kindergarten and interviewed the head of Ukraine's presidential office on conditions for extending the ceasefire.

French analysis places this episode in a longer pattern: after Putin's Easter truce (which was also violated), Moscow is repeating a systematic refusal of any Kyiv-initiated diplomatic overture. Paris reads the May 9 parade as the real priority — Putin needs a military showcase, not a ceasefire. Zelensky's mirror-response threat is treated cautiously: credible, but diplomatically risky.