The head of German diplomacy on Thursday downplayed the Russian ceasefire in Ukraine on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, 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
Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed today that Russian troops fighting in Ukraine will observe a 36-hour ceasefire between noon on January 6 and midnight on January 7.
In a statement, the Russian Presidency (Kremlin) stated that Putin responded to an appeal by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Cyril, released this morning.
Putin indicated that “a large number of citizens professing the Orthodox religion live in combat zones.”
“We call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to go to church on Christmas Eve, as well as on Nativity Day,” Putin said in the order to Defense Minister Sergei. Shoigu, posted on the Kremlin website.
Patriarch Cyril had appealed today to the belligerents “in the fratricidal conflict to call them to establish a ceasefire and seal a Christmas truce.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also called today, in a telephone conversation with Putin, for the adoption of a “unilateral ceasefire” in Ukraine in order to negotiate “a fair solution.”
Erdogan also maintained telephone contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said they had discussed “issues of bilateral cooperation on security and nuclear security” in addition to the “exchange of prisoners of war with Turkish mediation and the development of the grain agreement.” . who thanked “Turkey’s willingness to participate in the implementation of our Formula for Peace.”
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 the Second World War (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 arms to Ukraine and imposing them on Russia in political 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
