Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered Moscow's armed forces to hold a 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend for the Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday, the Kremlin said.
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The order follows a proposal by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, earlier in the day. Putin ordered ceasefire would begin at 1200 on Jan. 6, the Kremlin said. Many Orthodox Christians, including those living in Russia and Ukraine, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6-7.
"Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact of the parties in Ukraine from 12.00 on January 6, 2023 to 24.00 on January 7, 2023," Putin said in the order. "Proceeding from the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas Day," Putin said.
Video: Ukraine spy chief 'glad' for attack on Russian air base; won't claim responsibility / Reuters
Kirill suggested a truce from noon Friday through midnight Saturday, local time. The Russian Orthodox Church, which uses the ancient Julian calendar, celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7 – later than the Gregorian calendar – although some Christians in Ukraine also mark the holiday on that date.
Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed Kirill's call as "a cynical trap and an element of propaganda." President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had proposed a Russian troop withdrawal earlier, before Dec. 25, but Russia rejected it.
Kirill has previously justified the war as part of Russia's "metaphysical struggle" to prevent a liberal ideological encroachment from the West. Putin spoke by phone with Turkey's president Thursday and the Kremlin said Putin "reaffirmed Russia's openness to a serious dialogue" with Ukrainian authorities. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Putin to implement a "unilateral cease-fire," according to a statement from the Turkish president's office.
Erdogan also told Zelenskyy later by telephone that Turkey was ready to mediate a "lasting peace." Erdogan has made such an offer frequently. It has already helped broker a deal allowing Ukraine to export millions of tons of grain, and it has facilitated a prisoner swap. Russia's professed readiness came with the usual preconditions: that "Kyiv authorities fulfill the well-known and repeatedly stated demands and recognize new territorial realities," the Kremlin said, referring to Moscow's insistence that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia and acknowledge other illegal territorial gains.
Previous attempts at peace talks have fallen at that hurdle, as Ukraine demands that Russia withdraws from occupied areas at the very least. Elsewhere, the head of NATO said he detected no change in Moscow's stance on Ukraine, insisting that the Kremlin "wants a Europe where they can control a neighboring country."
"We have no indications that President Putin has changed his plans, his goals for Ukraine," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Oslo. Ukraine's Western allies have renewed a vow to keep supporting Kyiv for as long as it takes to defeat Russia.
In the latest pledge of military help, the French Defense Ministry said it plans talks soon with its Ukrainian counterpart on delivering armored combat vehicles. France's presidency says it will be the first time this type of Western-made wheeled tank destroyer is sent to Ukraine's military. Also, US President Joe Biden said Bradley Fighting Vehicles, a medium armored combat vehicle that can serve as a troop carrier, could be sent to Ukraine.
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