US President Joe Biden said Thursday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, is trying to “catch his breath” by announcing a ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas.
“He (Putin) was ready to bomb hospitals, kindergartens and churches (…) on December 25 and the New Year (…) The Russian president said that Moscow troops would observe a 36-hour ceasefire between noon on January 6 and midnight on January 7
“According to the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Cyril, I have instructed the Minister of Defense to introduce a ceasefire regime on the entire line of contact in Ukraine from 12:00 on January 6 of this year until the midnight on January 7,” says the Kremlin. declaration.
Biden’s statement is in line with the Ukrainian government’s reaction to the announcement of the Russian ceasefire, which criticized the “hypocrisy” of the Kremlin’s decision.
An adviser to the Ukrainian president today called the announcement of a Russian ceasefire in Ukraine on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas “hypocrisy” and called on Russian troops to leave the country.
“Russia must leave the occupied territories, and only then will a ‘temporary truce’ be possible. Maintain your hypocrisy,” he wrote on Twitter.
The head of German diplomacy also downplayed the Russian ceasefire in Ukraine on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas on Thursday, saying it “will bring neither freedom nor security to people who live in fear every day under Russian occupation.”
“If Putin wanted peace, he would withdraw his soldiers home and the war would end,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a tweet.
“Apparently, [Putin] wants to continue the war, after a brief interruption”, considered the head of German diplomacy.
The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of more than 14 million people -6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 7.9 million to European countries-, according to the most recent data. of the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Right now, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the wider international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing Russia from the political point of view and economic sanctions.
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war 6,919 dead civilians and 11,075 wounded, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
Source: TSF
