Ukraine on Thursday quickly dismissed an announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin of a 36-hour cease-fire to mark Orthodox Christmas, saying there would be no truce until Russia withdraws its invading forces from occupied land.
Putin’s directive to his troops comes days after Moscow suffered its deadliest reported loss of the invasion, following nearly 11 months of brutal combat, and as Ukraine's allies indicated that fresh military aid was on the way.
Putin did not appear to make his cease-fire order conditional on Ukraine’s acceptance, and it wasn’t clear whether hostilities would actually halt on the 1,100-kilometer (684-mile) front line or elsewhere. Ukrainian officials have previously dismissed such Russian moves as playing for time to regroup their invasion forces and prepare additional attacks.
Both nations celebrate Orthodox Christmas and the Russian leader’s order came following cease-fire calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russia’s spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill, a staunch Putin supporter.
"Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodox Christianity live in the conflict zones, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ," as per Putin’s order, addressed to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and published on the Kremlin’s website.
Putin proposed a truce from noon Friday through midnight Saturday Moscow time (0900 GMT Friday to 2100 GMT Saturday; 4 a.m. EST Friday to 3 p.m. EST Saturday).
Putin seeking 'oxygen'
Kyiv quickly denounced the move. Russia "must leave the occupied territories, only then will it have a ‘temporary truce.' Keep hypocrisy to yourself," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
He said that, unlike Russia, Ukraine was not attacking foreign territory or killing civilians, and only destroying "members of the occupation army on its territory." Podolyak had earlier rejected Kirill’s call for a truce as "a cynical trap and an element of propaganda." He described the Russian Orthodox Church, which has endorsed Russia’s invasion, as "war propaganda tool."
The head of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, told Ukrainian TV, "We will not negotiate any truce with them." He also tweeted, "What does a bunch of little Kremlin devils have to do with the Christian holiday of Christmas? Who will believe an abomination that kills children, fires at maternity homes and tortures prisoners? A ceasefire? Lies and hypocrisy. We will bite you in the singing silence of the Ukrainian night."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed doubt on Thursday that the rejection of Russia’s proposed truce by Podolyak reflected the Ukrainian leader’s view, Interfax news agency reported. "It is difficult for us to judge whether Podolyak’s opinion reflects the view of the president of Ukraine," Interfax quoted Peskov as saying. Zelenskyy has yet to comment on the proposed truce.
Ukraine has previously said that any Russian call for a cease-fire would be an attempt by Moscow to secure some respite for its troops, which Kyiv is trying to force from territory Russia seized after its invasion last February.
Russia’s Orthodox Church observes Christmas on Jan. 7. Ukraine’s main Orthodox Church has rejected the authority of the Moscow patriarch, and many Ukrainian believers have shifted their calendar to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 as in the West.
U.S. President Joe Biden declined to comment directly but said at the White House on Thursday it was "interesting" that Putin was ready to bomb hospitals, nurseries and churches on Christmas and New Year’s day. "I think he’s trying to find some oxygen," Biden said.
Putin’s call is "hypocritical" and the only route to restoring peace is for Russia to withdraw its troops from the country, said European Council President, Charles Michel. "Withdrawal of Russian troops is the only serious option to restore peace and security. Announcement of unilateral ceasefire is as bogus and hypocritical as the illegal and grotesque annexations and accompanying referenda," Michel said in a tweet.
Türkiye’s mediation offer
Earlier on Thursday, Russia and Ukraine made clear there would be no peace talks between them any time soon, despite offers of mediation by Türkiye’s Erdoğan, who spoke separately to both Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Erdoğan urged Putin to implement a "unilateral cease-fire," according to the Turkish president’s office. The Kremlin said the Russian president "reaffirmed Russia’s openness to a serious dialogue" with Ukrainian authorities.
Erdoğan also told Zelenskyy that Türkiye was ready to mediate a "lasting peace." Erdoğan has made such offers frequently, helped broker a deal allowing Ukraine to export millions of tons of grain, and has facilitated a Ukrainian-Russian prisoner swap.
The Kremlin said Putin had told Erdoğan that Moscow was ready for talks, but only under the condition that Ukraine "takes the new territorial realities into account," a reference to Kyiv acknowledging Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine’s Podolyak called that demand "fully unacceptable."
Ten months after Putin ordered an invasion of his neighbor and seized swathes of Ukrainian land, Russia and Ukraine have both entered the new year with hardened diplomatic positions. After major battlefield victories in the second half of 2022, Kyiv is increasingly confident it can drive Russian forces from more parts of its land.
Putin, for his part, has shown no willingness to discuss relinquishing his territorial conquests, despite mounting losses among his troops, after he ordered the first call-up of reservists since World War II. Russia says it is fighting a "special military operation" in Ukraine to safeguard the country from a threat caused by Kyiv’s pro-Western outlook.