Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 5 ordered a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine on Orthodox Christmas, celebrated this week by both countries, according to the Kremlin
This is the first time Russia introduced a full ceasefire in Ukraine since the launch of the offensive in February 2022.
Reacting to the Russiam declaration, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said, Russia “must leave the occupied territories — only then will it have a ‘temporary truce’.” Mr. Podolyak further tweeted: “Keep hypocrisy to yourself.”
The announcement comes following a request for a ceasefire during the religious holiday from Russia’s 76-year-old Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill.
“I instruct the Defense Minister of the Russian Federation to introduce from 12:00 (2.30 p.m. IST) on January 6, 2023 until 24:00 on January 7, 2023 (2.30 a.m. IST on January 8) a ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the sides in Ukraine,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“Given the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of combat, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend church services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ,” the statement added.
In a call with the Russian leader earlier on January 5, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed Mr. Putin to declare a “unilateral” ceasefire in Ukraine.
Mr. Putin told the Turkish leader he was open to dialogue with Ukraine if Kyiv accepts territories occupied by Moscow as Russian, the Kremlin had said.
“Mr. Putin again confirmed Russia’s openness to serious dialogue on the condition of Kyiv authorities fulfilling the well-known and repeatedly voiced requirements of taking into account the new territorial realities,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Mr. Erdogan had called for peace talks in the phone call with Mr. Putin, his office said earlier.
Russian troops occupy large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Kremlin claims it has annexed the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions despite not controlling them in their entirety.
"The Russian side emphasized the destructive role of Western States, pumping the Kyiv regime with weapons and military equipment, providing it with operational information and targets," the statement had added.
The leaders also discussed the implementation of a landmark grain deal, brokered by the UN with the help of Turkey, to unblock Ukrainian grain.
The Kremlin said the pair discussed "the unblocking of food and fertilizer supplies from Russia" and the need for "the removal of all barriers to Russian exports."
Russia briefly exited the deal in October after a drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet. It re-entered the deal within days but officials have complained of restrictions on Russian products.
Mr. Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February last year.