The Call For A Russian Armistice As An Omission, President Zelensky: They Want To Use Christmas As An Underprivileged

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday rejected Russia's call for a ceasefire during Orthodox Christmas, saying it was a hoax to stop Ukrainian troops from advancing in the eastern Donbas region, as well as deploying more Moscow troops.

Speaking firmly in Russian to the Kremlin and Russia as a whole, President Zelensky said Moscow had repeatedly ignored the Kyiv peace plan. According to him, the war will end when Russian troops leave Ukraine or are expelled.

"They now want to use Christmas as a cover, even for a while, to stop the progress of our soldiers in the Donbas, to bring equipment, ammunition and troops mobilized closer to our position," President Zelensky said in his evening video address. January 6th.

President Zelensky said ending the war meant "to end your country's aggression. It continues every day as your army is on our land. And the war will end either when your army leaves or we expel them."

He urged Russia to challenge President Vladimir Putin's premise, which describes war as necessary to protect Moscow's interests against the West and eradicate nationalists.

"The whole world knows how the Kremlin uses interruptions in war, to continue the war with new powers," President Zelensky said.

"But to end the war sooner, we need something completely different. We need Russian citizens to find courage in themselves, even for 36 hours, even during Christmas, to free themselves from a completely different fear of one person in the Kremlin," he explained.

It is known that the Russian Orthodox Church commemorated Christmas on January 7. Meanwhile, Ukraine's main Orthodox Church has been recognized independently by the church hierarchy since 2019 and rejects any notion of loyalty to Moscow's patriarchal. Many believe Ukraine has changed their calendar to celebrate Christmas on December 25 as in the West.

As previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered his defense minister to implement a ceasefire in Ukraine for 36 hours on January 6 and 7, to allow Orthodox Christians to attend Christmas services, according to a statement from the Kremlin.