Ukraine rejects Vladimir Putin’s Christmas truce

In response to the Russian president’s order to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine on the occasion of Christmas, Kyiv signaled that it would not follow suit, prompting a strong reaction from Medvedev.

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his armed forces to comply with the unilateral 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine, on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, which was the first truce in almost 11 months of war. Kyiv has made it clear that this example will not be followed.

Apparently, the order was not subject to the consent of Ukraine, and it was not clear whether the fighting would really stop on the 1,100-kilometer front line. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the actions of the Russian Federation an attempt to buy time to regroup the invasion forces and prepare for attacks.

During the war that began on February 24, the Russian authorities repeatedly issued orders for limited local truces, which allowed the evacuation of the civilian population or for other humanitarian purposes. However, yesterday’s order marked the first time that Putin has ordered his troops to maintain a ceasefire throughout Ukraine. It says:

“Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ.”

The order did not specify whether it would apply to offensive and defensive operations, nor was it clear whether Russia would retaliate if Ukraine continued the war.

Ukrainian officials rejected Putin’s actions In his late-night video message, Zelenskiy did not say that Ukrainian forces would reject Putin’s request for a cessation of hostilities, but questioned the motives of the Russian leadership:

“Now they want to use Christmas as a cover to temporarily stop the advance of our guys in the Donbass and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilized people closer to our positions. What will it give? Just another increase in the count of losses.

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev called the Ukrainians ungrateful: “The hand of Christian mercy was extended to the Ukrainians on a great holiday. Their leaders rejected it. I think most of our military personnel participating in the NWO calmly exhaled when they heard the refusal of the main Ukrainian clowns to cease fire on Christmas Day. Less problems and deceit. European politicians got it too. Medvedev began to insult them, “who did not appreciate Putin’s proposal.” In particular, responding to the words of German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock that if Putin had strived for peace, he would have returned the soldiers home, Medvedev said that “the heirs of the Nazis never spared either people or animals.”

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