PATRICK BISHOP: The ball, said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week, was now in Russia's court following Ukraine's 'breakthrough' acceptance of a notional 30-day ceasefire across all fronts. Yesterday, we saw Vladimir Putin's return. Instead of thumping a full-blooded forehand return, as proof of Moscow's enthusiastic engagement in the peace-game, he patted the serve into the net. 'We agreed with the proposal to cease hostilities,' he said. But only if it 'led to enduring peace' that 'removed the underlying causes of this crisis'. So, a seeming 'yes' that in practice means 'no' - at least for the time being.
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