Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a temporary cease-fire of 36 hours from noon on the 6th (local time) to midnight on the 7th to mark the Orthodox Christmas, but Ukraine rejected it as a 'trick'.



According to Reuters and AFP news agencies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a late-night speech on the 5th, "Russia will stop (Orthodox) Christmas in the Donbas region, bring in additional manpower and weapons, and take our seriousness." They are trying to use it as a 'camouflage' to mobilize soldiers closer," he dismissed President Putin's ceasefire order.



Putin's order for the ceasefire comes as Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has urged Russia and Ukraine to ceasefire and celebrate the Christmas holiday.



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The Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7, 13 days later than Protestant and Catholic Christmas.



It is the first time Russia has ordered a full-scale, albeit temporary, cease-fire since it invaded Ukraine last February.



President Putin, who is continuing the war by invading Ukraine in February last year, also proposed that "the Ukrainian side declare a truce, considering that many residents who believe in Orthodoxy live in the fighting area."



In response, President Zelensky said in a speech that day, mainly in Russian, as if targeting the Russians, "What will they gain from it (truce)? It will only increase the overall loss." It will end when we kick it out.”



The US and UK supporters of Ukraine were also skeptical.



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US President Joe Biden evaluated that President Putin was just trying to take a breather from the war.



President Biden said, “He was preparing to bomb hospitals, kindergartens and churches on Christmas and New Year’s Day last month,” and “he (Putin) was just trying to catch his breath.”



State Department spokesman Ned Price said he viewed Putin's ceasefire order as "cynical" and said, "We have little faith in the intentions behind this announcement."



"Putin is trying to deceive the world by making it look like he wants peace," Price said.



"I don't think this armistice order will change the tide of the war," he added.



British Foreign Secretary James Clavery said the Russian ceasefire "would have nothing to do with advancing the prospect of peace" and that "Russia will permanently withdraw its troops, relinquish its unlawful control of Ukrainian territory and commit a barbaric attack against innocent civilians." must be finished,” he stressed.