Russo-Ukrainian War: Putin orders short-term unilateral ceasefire; Ukraine calls it ‘hypocrisy’
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday ordered his troops to implement a 36-hour cease-fire along the front lines in Ukraine over the Orthodox Christmas holiday, calling called the government in Kyiv to do the same.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, responded with mockery in his nightly speech, denying Mr. Putin’s motives. He said Russia wanted to “use Christmas as a cover” to stop Ukraine’s advance, regroup and send more troops to the front. He gave no indication that Ukraine would comply with the ceasefire, although he did not explicitly rule it out.
The Kremlin said Putin had fixed a ceasefire, which would be the widest since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, lasting from noon on Friday to midnight on Saturday. Ministry of Defense of Russia confirmed it has received the order.
Russia celebrates Orthodox holidays based on the Julian calendar, as do some Ukrainians, which is different from the Gregorian calendar used by majority Catholic and Protestant countries.
“Due to the large number of Orthodox citizens residing in the war zones, we urge the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend Christmas Eve and Nativity Day celebrations. ,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Analysts say Mr Putin’s order appears to be a public relations move that he can exploit regardless of Ukraine’s response. If Kyiv agrees to a ceasefire, that would give the compromised Russian troops an opportunity to regroup. If Ukraine ignores the ceasefire, Russia could claim that it has a higher moral basis and continue to defame Ukraine in front of the Russian public.
Ukrainian officials immediately cast doubt on the veracity of Putin’s announcement, pointing out that Russia had bombarded civilians on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter: “Their current ‘unilateral ceasefire’ cannot and should not be taken seriously.
Mykhailo Podolyak, senior adviser to the president, wrote on Twitter that Moscow’s troops “must leave the occupied territories — only then will they have a ‘temporary truce'”, adding, “Keep your hypocrisy to yourself. ” In a separate statement, he called the ceasefire a “propaganda gesture” and a “trivial hoax”.
“There is not the slightest desire to end the war,” he said.
Some Ukrainians, especially in the western part of the country, Christmas observation on December 25and on Christmas Eve Russian shelling kill at least 10 people in the newly recaptured Ukrainian city of Kherson.
In Washington, President Biden told him that it appeared Putin was “trying to get some oxygen” with the ceasefire declaration. “I find it interesting that he is ready to bomb hospitals, kindergartens and churches on the 25th and New Year,” Biden said.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, called Putin’s cease-fire announcement “a lie”, which came after Russia’s attacks on civilian targets. He warned that Russia could pause combat to “rest, re-equip, regroup and finally strike again”.
“We don’t have much faith in the intentions behind this announcement,” he told reporters at a daily news conference. “I think we know better than to belittle anything we see or hear from Russia.”
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, said a temporary ceasefire for the welcomed Orthodox holiday would not replace a “just peace in accordance with the UN charter”. National and international law”.
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said the cease-fire did little to help Ukrainians living in fear under Russian occupation. “If Putin wants peace, he will bring his soldiers home and the war will end,” she wrote on Twitter. “But it is clear that he wants to continue the fight after a short break.”
Putin’s statement came just hours after the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill I, called for a ceasefire to allow Orthodox Christians on the front lines to attend the services.
It also follows Putin’s conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who has billed himself as a mediator in the conflict, and on Thursday call for a ceasefire.
Megan Specia and Anushka Patil contribution report.
