US President Joe Biden is not overtly convinced by the temporary ceasefire ordered by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Biden termed Putin’s 36-hour ceasefire order an effort to find breathing room for his army.
“I’m reluctant to respond to anything that Putin says. I found it interesting that he was willing to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year’s,” said Biden before adding, “I think he’s trying to find some oxygen.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by the US State Department which called Putin’s ceasefire attempt ‘cynical’.
“We have little faith in the intentions behind this announcement. If Russia were truly serious about peace, about ending this war, it would withdraw its forces from the sovereign territory of Ukraine,” said spokesman New Price.
On Thursday, nearly a year into the war, Putin ordered a ceasefire on January 6 and 7, surprising the rest of the world.
Citing ‘Orthodox Christmas’ as the reason for the truce, Kremlin released an official statement conveying its decision.
“Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I (Putin) instruct the defence minister of the Russian Federation to introduce from 12:00 (0900 GMT) on January 6, 2023 until 24:00 (2100 GMT) on January 7, 2023 a ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the sides in Ukraine.”
Notably, the Russian Orthodox Church observes Christmas on January 7. Putin urged the Ukrainian side to allow citizens in the ‘war region’ to practice their faith without any problem.
“Proceeding from the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas Day.”
However, akin to Biden, Ukraine wasn’t too pleased with Putin’s decision. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak took to Twitter to slam the move and suggested Kremlin keep its ‘hypocrisy’ to itself.
“First. Ukraine doesn’t attack foreign territory & doesn’t kill civilians. As RF does. Ukraine destroys only members of the occupation army on its territory… Second. RF must leave the occupied territories – only then will it have a “temporary truce”. Keep hypocrisy to yourself.”
First. Ukraine doesn’t attack foreign territory & doesn’t kill civilians. As RF does. Ukraine destroys only members of the occupation army on its territory…
Second. RF must leave the occupied territories – only then will it have a “temporary truce”. Keep hypocrisy to yourself.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) January 5, 2023
Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. Initially, it was predicted that Moscow would steamroll Kyiv within a matter of few days, if not weeks. However, the war has since stretched and Ukraine has matched Russia, often landing lethal blows in between.
Some experts have suggested that the recent deadly Ukrainian strike on Russian troops in Makiivka that killed 89 soldiers may have prompted Putin to take a step back and regroup his army.
(With inputs from agencies)
