Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected out of hand a Russian order for a truce over the Orthodox Christmas period, saying the proposed ceasefire is a trick to halt the Ukraine army’s progress in the eastern Donbas region and allow Moscow to bring in more troops.Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 36-hour ceasefire , which will run from midday Friday until the end of Saturday, after a call for a Christmas truce by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow yesterday.The order did not specify whether the ceasefire would apply to both offensive and defensive operations by Russia, and it was not clear whether Russia would hit back if Ukraine kept fighting.Speaking pointedly in Russian and addressing the Kremlin and Russians as a whole last night, Zelenskyy said Moscow had repeatedly ignored Kyiv’s peace plan.The Ukrainian leader also urged Russians to challenge Putin and his portrayal of the war as necessary to safeguard Moscow’s interests against the West.United States President Joe Biden was equally dismissive of Putin’s announcement, even as the Institute for the Study of War said that Putin’s surprise ceasefire announcement was an intentional information tactic designed to portray Ukraine as the aggressor, and a pause in fighting now would primarily benefit Russian forces.Meanwhile, European Council President Charles Michel said that Russia’s withdrawal was the only serious option to restore peace and security.
