Putin (in a cosy jumper) calls for a holiday truce
VLADIMIR Putin yesterday ordered a temporary ceasefire to allow the celebration of the Orthodox Church’s Christmas – in a move dismissed as ‘hypocrisy’ by Kyiv.
The Russian leader called on Ukraine’s forces to observe the proposed truce, which would run for 36 hours, from noon today to midnight tomorow.
Putin, who was pictured yesterday looking relaxed in a zip-up jumper, ordered his defence minister Sergei Shoigu to introduce the ceasefire along the entire front line, the Kremlin reported.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed Putin’s call for a truce, saying it would only be possible when Russia left the territory it was occupying.
Mr Podolyak, writing on Twitter, said; ‘First. Ukraine doesn’t attack foreign territory & doesn’t kill civilians... as RF [Russian Federation] does. Ukraine destroys only members of the occupation army on its territory.
‘Second. RF must leave the occupied territories – only then will it have a “temporary truce”. Keep hypocrisy to yourself.’
The call for a ceasefire followed an earlier proposal by Russia’s spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill for an Orthodox Christmas truce. The proposal was dismissed by Kyiv as a ‘cynical trap’ by Moscow.
This is the first time Russia has introduced a full ceasefire in Ukraine since the launch of the war last February.
Mr Podolyak described the ceasefire declaration as a ‘banal trick’ and dismissed the Russian patriarch’s call as ‘ a cynical trap and an element of propaganda’.
He added: ‘There is not the slightest desire to end the war. There is no need to respond to the manipulative initiatives of the Russian leadership.’
The Russian Orthodox Church, which uses the ancient Julian calendar, celebrates Christmas on January 7 – later than the Gregorian calendar – although some Christians in Ukraine also mark the holiday on that date.
Despite Putin’s ceasefire call, major new supplies of Russian armour, along with troops and weaponry, have been moved to Belarus, according to video footage. Ukraine believes Russia is planning a fresh attack from the north.