Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 317 of the invasion - The Guardian

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has rejected retired of manus a Russian bid for a truce implicit Orthodox Christmas, saying it was a instrumentality to halt the advancement of Ukraine’s forces successful the eastbound Donbas portion and bring successful much of their own. Speaking pointedly successful Russian and addressing some the Kremlin and Russians arsenic a full connected Thursday, Zelenskiy said Moscow had repeatedly ignored Kyiv’s ain bid plan.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, instructed his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, to present a 36-hour ceasefire on the full enactment of interaction successful Ukraine from noon connected Friday to midnight connected 7 January, the Kremlin said. Russian troops indispensable clasp occurrence for 36 hours successful bid to let radical “in the areas of hostilities” to people Orthodox Christmas, Putin said.

The warfare would end, Zelenskiy said, erstwhile Russian troops near Ukraine oregon were thrown out. “They present privation to usage Christmas arsenic a cover, albeit briefly, to halt the advances of our boys successful Donbas and bring equipment, ammunitions and mobilised troops person to our positions,” the Ukrainian person said successful his nightly video address. “What volition that springiness them? Only yet different summation successful their full losses.” He said the warfare “will extremity either erstwhile your soldiers permission oregon we propulsion them out”.

The US authorities section expressed skepticism implicit Putin’s announced ceasefire, describing it arsenic “cynical” fixed Moscow’s New Year’s Day onslaught connected Ukraine and saying the US had “little faith” successful the announcement’s intentions.

Putin’s announcement came hours aft the caput of the Russian Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill, called for a ceasefire and a Christmas truce successful Ukraine. In a statement, Kirill said helium appealed to “all parties progressive successful the internecine conflict” for the ceasefire, truthful that “Orthodox radical tin be services connected Christmas Eve and the time of the Nativity of Christ”.

Germany volition articulation the US successful supplying an further Patriot aerial defence artillery to Ukraine, the White House has announced, aft the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the US president, Joe Biden, spoke by phone. The 2 leaders “expressed their communal determination to proceed to supply the indispensable financial, humanitarian, subject and diplomatic enactment to Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic needed”, the White House said successful a statement.

The US believes that Vladimir Putin’s state Yevgeny Prigozhin is funny successful taking power of brackish and gypsum from mines adjacent the Ukrainian-held metropolis of Bakhmut, a White House authoritative said connected Thursday. There were indications that monetary motives were driving Russia’s and Prigozhin’s “obsession” with Bakhmut, the authoritative added. Prigozhin is the proprietor of backstage Russian subject institution Wagner Group.

Germany’s system minister, Robert Habeck, said Germany providing weapons to Ukraine was a “good decision” during a Thursday briefing. Habeck’s section has to o.k. weapons exports.