Kyiv: Putin's truce is hypocrisy and seeking to buy time

Yesterday, Mikhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, described the Russian declaration of a ceasefire on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas as "hypocrisy," accusing Moscow of seeking to "buy time."

"Russia should leave the occupied territories, and only then will there be a temporary armistice," he wrote in a tweet.

We will not be deceived by your hypocrisy.

In a separate letter to the press, Podolyak condemned the ceasefire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier, stressing that "it is pure propaganda."

He said, "Russia is seeking by all means to reduce, at least temporarily, the intensity of battles and strikes on its logistical centers to buy time."

He accused Putin of not having the slightest desire to end the war and of seeking to "persuade the Europeans to put pressure" on Kyiv for peace negotiations, which Ukraine has rejected for months.

"It is not necessary to respond to initiatives by which Russian leaders deliberately manipulate," he said.

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