Kyiv dismisses Putin's call for 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine as 'hypocrisy' - CNN

CNN  — 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his defence curate to instrumentality a impermanent ceasefire successful Ukraine for 36 hours this week to let Orthodox Christians to be Christmas services, according to a Kremlin connection Thursday. But the connection was swiftly dismissed arsenic “hypocrisy” by Ukrainian officials.

Putin’s bid came aft the person of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, called for a ceasefire betwixt January 6 and January 7, erstwhile galore Orthodox Christians observe Christmas.

But Ukrainian officials voiced skepticism astir the impermanent ceasefire, saying Moscow conscionable wanted a intermission to stitchery reserves, instrumentality and ammunition.

During his nightly code connected Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia aims to usage Orthodox Christmas “as a cover” to resupply and halt Ukrainian advances successful the eastbound Donbas region.

“What volition this accomplish? Only different summation successful the casualty count,” helium added.

Serhiy Haidai, caput of the Luhansk determination subject administration, told Ukrainian television: “Regarding this truce – they conscionable privation to get immoderate benignant of a intermission for a time oregon two, to propulsion adjacent much reserves, bring immoderate much ammo.”

“Russia cannot beryllium trusted. Not a azygous connection they say,” Haidai added.

Now successful its 11th month, the conflict that galore experts thought would beryllium implicit wrong days oregon weeks has go a grueling war.

Both sides person taken blows successful caller weeks: Ukraine’s system shrank by much than 30% past year, with Russian rocket strikes pummeling civilian infrastructure, leaving galore without vigor successful the tallness of winter. Meanwhile, Ukrainian attacks connected Russian barracks person killed a important fig of Russian troops and sparked contention wrong Russia.

Ukrainian statesmanlike advisor Mykhailo Podolyak responded to Putin’s determination connected Twitter by saying that Russia indispensable permission “occupied territories” successful Ukraine earlier immoderate “temporary truce.”

“First. Ukraine doesn’t onslaught overseas territory and doesn’t termination civilians. As RF [Russian Federation] does … Second. RF indispensable permission the occupied territories – lone past volition it person a ‘temporary truce’. Keep hypocrisy to yourself,” Podolyak said.

The connection for a impermanent truce besides raised eyebrows among the planetary community.

US President Joe Biden expressed skepticism connected Thursday, telling reporters that helium was “reluctant to respond thing Putin says. I recovered it interesting. He was acceptable to weaponry hospitals and nurseries and churches connected the 25th and New Year’s.”

He continued, “I mean, I deliberation he’s trying to find immoderate oxygen.”

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price described it arsenic “cynical” and that the US had “little religion successful the intentions behind” Russia’s projected ceasefire.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock connected Thursday besides warned that the committedness of a ceasefire would not bring “either state oregon security” to the radical surviving nether Moscow’s brutal war.

“If Putin wanted peace, helium would instrumentality his soldiers home, and the warfare would beryllium over. But apparently, helium wants to proceed the warfare aft a abbreviated break,” she said successful a tweet.

Putin’s bid comes aft helium spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – who has attempted to presumption himself arsenic a broker betwixt the Russian president and the West – wherever Putin said helium was unfastened to “serious dialogue” regarding Ukraine, but Kyiv indispensable judge the “new territorial realities,” according to a Kremlin statement.

The afloat connection from the Kremlin connected Thursday read: “Taking into relationship the entreaty of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to present from 12:00 January 6, 2023 until 24:00 January 7, 2023, a ceasefire on the full enactment of interaction betwixt the parties successful Ukraine.

“Based connected the information that a ample fig of citizens professing Orthodoxy unrecorded successful the combat areas, we telephone connected the Ukrainian broadside to state a ceasefire and springiness them the accidental to be services connected Christmas Eve, arsenic good arsenic connected the Day of the Nativity of Christ.”

Kirill has been a vocal protagonist of Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine, and gave a sermon successful September successful which helium said that “military work washes distant each sins.”

The person of the Russian Orthodox Church has besides been locked successful a feud with Pope Francis, who has described the penetration of Ukraine arsenic Russian “expansionism and imperialism.”

And successful May, the Pope urged Patriarch Kirill not to “become Putin’s altar boy.”

In November, a subdivision of Ukraine’s Orthodox religion announced that it would let its churches to observe Christmas connected December 25, alternatively than January 7, arsenic is accepted successful Orthodox congregations.

The announcement by the Kyiv-headquartered Orthodox Church of Ukraine widened the rift betwixt the Russian Orthodox Church and different Orthodox believers.

In caller years a ample portion of the Orthodox assemblage successful Ukraine has moved distant from Moscow, a question accelerated by the struggle Russia stoked successful eastbound Ukraine opening successful 2014.

Ukrainians, who person suffered astir a twelvemonth of conflict, expressed distrust of Putin’s announcement.

In the confederate portion of Kherson, Pavlo Skotarenko doesn’t expect overmuch to change. “They ammunition america each day, radical dice successful Kherson each day. And this impermanent measurement won’t alteration anything,” helium said.

From the frontlines successful Ukraine’s eastbound Luhansk region, a Ukrainian worker told CNN that the impermanent ceasefire announcement looked similar an effort to cleanable up Russia’s image.

“I bash not deliberation that this is done for immoderate subject tactical purpose, 1 time volition not lick much,” the Ukrainian soldier, who goes by the telephone motion Archer, told CNN by phone.

“Perhaps this is done to marque the representation of the full of Russia a small much human, due to the fact that truthful galore atrocities are perpetually emerging, and this could gain them fewer points of enactment from the people,” the worker said.

And successful the superior Kyiv, wherever Russian attacks during New Year soured adjacent the astir humble celebrations, Halyna Hladka said she saw the impermanent ceasefire arsenic an effort by Russians to triumph time.

“Russia has already shown progressive usage of religion successful galore kinds of manipulations. And besides, successful astir a twelvemonth of war, Russia has not behaved itself arsenic a state susceptible of adhering to promises,” she said.