The proposal got short shrift from Kyiv officials, with Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak dismissing it as “a cynical trap and an element of propaganda.”
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered his armed forces to observe a 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend for the Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday, the first such sweeping truce move in the nearly 11-month-old war.
While not necessarily the final official word back from Kyiv, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that Russian forces “must leave the occupied territories — only then will it have a ‘temporary truce.’ Keep hypocrisy to yourself.” Independent political analyst Tatyana Stanovaya said Putin’s cease-fire order is a logical step intended to make him look reasonable and interested in peace.
In addition to a possibile cease-fire, diplomatic efforts also were aimed at stopping the war, at least temporarily. Putin spoke by phone with Turkey’s president on Thursday and the Kremlin said the Russian president “reaffirmed Russia’s openness to a serious dialogue” with Ukrainian authorities. Previous attempts at peace talks have failed at that hurdle, because Ukraine demands that Russia withdraw from occupied areas.
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