Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Christmas ceasefire.
In a televised address Zelensky described the offer as a military ruse.
A cessation of hostilities in Ukraine ordered by President Vladimir Putin on the eve of Orthodox Christmas took effect on Friday morning. Russia will be observing the truce for 36 hours, from 12:00 on January 6 until midnight on January 7, RT reported.
The president’s ceasefire order was issued on Thursday after an appeal by Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. “We call upon the Ukrainian side to proclaim a cessation of hostilities and give them [Orthodox Christians] the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day,” a Kremlin statement read.
Ukraine officials called the truce “hypocritical”.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden suggested that by seeking a pause, Putin “is trying to find some oxygen.”
