Putin Orders Two-Day Ceasefire in Ukraine Over Orthodox Christmas

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to observe a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 6-7, the Kremlin announced on Thursday. The decision follows calls by Russia's spiritual leader, Patriarch Kirill, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier on Thursday for a ceasefire in the 10-month conflict, though there is no suggestion that the brief cessation of hostilities will lead to the negotiating table, as Ergodan had suggested in a phone call with Putin earlier in the day. "Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the defense minister of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire from 12:00 on Jan. 6, 2023 until 24:00 on January 7, 2023 along the entire line of contact between the sides in Ukraine," the Kremlin said in a statement. The Kremlin urged Kiev to follow its example and order the Ukrainian military to observe a ceasefire too. "Based on the fact that a large number of Orthodox citizens live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow citizens to attend Christmas services," the statement said. Kiev rejected the Kremlin proposal, however, calling it a "cynical trap." "The Russian Orthodox Church has called for the genocide of Ukrainians, encouraged mass murder, and insists on the even greater militarization of Russia. Therefore, the statement about the 'Christmas truce' is a cynical trap and an element of propaganda," said Mikhail Podolyak, a senior advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. AFP contributed reporting.