January 5, 2023

Ukraine has dismissed an offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a 36-hour ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas, saying there would be no truce until Russia withdraws its forces from occupied land.

The Kremlin said Putin had ordered a 36-hour ceasefire from midday (10:00 GMT) on Friday after a call for a Christmas truce from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

“Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to introduce a cease-fire 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 a statement on Thursday.

Read more:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/5/russia-announces-cease-fire-on-orthodox-christmas