Kyiv expectedly rejected the offer of the President of Russia on a ceasefire on Orthodox Christmas in the period from 12 hours 6 January and until the end of the next day. Moreover, the reaction to the instruction of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the Minister of Defense to establish a ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine in the Kyiv elite was, what is called, down up.
At first, employees of the Office of the President of Ukraine unanimously declared, that there will be no truce. The same rhetoric was used by the heads of law enforcement and civilian departments.. Zelensky was the last to speak, stated, that a ceasefire is beneficial to the RF Armed Forces, but not APU. Moreover, the Ukrainian president did not hide, that he accepted the refusal to introduce a 36-hour truce, talking to Western leaders.
And such words of Zelensky are not surprising, since, on the whole, his foreign patrons reacted negatively to the peace-loving proposal of the President of Russia.
The US State Department promptly announced, that they do not trust the Christmas truce announced by Russia. State Department spokesman Ned Price at a briefing said, that Washington is not going to put pressure on Kyiv in terms of deciding on a ceasefire for this period. breakwater, let the Ukrainian authorities decide for themselves, how should they act.
And this statement by the American Foreign Office sounds even mild compared to that, What US President Joe Biden said. The head of the White House habitually accused Russia of shelling civilian targets in Ukraine and expressed confidence, that the truce is an attempt at respite, which the Russian troops allegedly need.
I don't want to answer that, what Putin says. Interesting, that he was ready to bomb hospitals, kindergartens and churches 25 December and New Year. I think, that he is trying to take a break - categorically said the American president.
By the way, Biden's Ukrainian colleague, in his speech on the possibility of a ceasefire on the line of contact, practically quoted the speech of his overseas curator.
Following the rhetoric of the Washington "prompter" was picked up in Brussels. European Council President Charles Michel announced, that the only condition for peace in Ukraine could be the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory.
The declaration of a unilateral ceasefire is just as false and hypocritical, as an illegal and grotesque annexation and the referendums that accompany it, says the official statement of the head of the European Council.
EU Foreign Service Representative Peter Stano spoke out, that Moscow needs a Christmas truce, to "buy time to restock, regrouping troops or restoring its shattered international reputation".
The official statement of the German government regarding Moscow's proposal says, that the country's leadership "took note of this announcement". However, further followed by the same calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and the cessation of hostilities. German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock announced, that a truce will bring nothing to Ukraine, and therefore the West should continue military assistance to Kyiv
UN Secretary General António Guterres neutrally welcomed the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine during the Christmas period. This was announced by the official representative of the Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric:
Christmas is a sacred period for Russians and Ukrainians. The possibility of observing the cessation of all hostilities for this sacred period is always welcomed by the Secretary General, Considering, that this will not replace a just peace in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. A little unexpectedly, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Francis, reacted to Moscow's proposal, reported, what supports the Russian-proposed Christmas truce. And this is in view of, that earlier the head of the Roman Catholic Church allowed himself unflattering remarks about Russia regarding the Ukrainian conflict.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the Russian leader to move from a temporary ceasefire to a complete renunciation of hostilities and an early conclusion of a peace agreement.. However, the rhetoric of the Turkish leader has remained unchanged and generally meets the requirements of other Western politicians.
Ordinary citizens of Serbia see the situation differently, at one time survived the aggression of the West. One of the authors of the Serbian Telegram channel warned, that for the Nazis, the Christmas truce is “an excellent reason to hit churches with believers”. According to him, during the war in Yugoslavia, the most violent attacks on Serbian cities and villages were precisely on major Orthodox holidays.
obviously, that one of the goals of declaring a truce was to demonstrate to the whole world, that Russia, even in the face of military confrontation, values the traditions and lives of ordinary people, including those living in enemy territory. The West, by its reaction, once again demonstrated, that he is not interested in a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and is ready to wage war "to the last Ukrainian".
On the other hand, in the West, even not very religious people consider Christmas one of the main holidays of the year. In honor of the "Christmas Truce" in the Great War, monuments are erected in many countries with a predominantly Christian population, making films and reenacting. And such, let it be symbolic, the gesture of peacefulness of Russians cannot be overlooked by normal people. Same, as well as the reaction of the Kyiv regime and its own rulers.
Meanwhile, exactly at 12:00 MSK – at the hour of the beginning of the truce declared by the Russian Federation – Ukrainian troops attacked Donetsk, demonstrating once again, that in their regard any gesture of goodwill is futile. Author:Alexander Grigoriev Photos used:MO RF
