“Now the Russians want to use Christmas as a cover to stop the advance of our guys in the Donbass for a while and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilization closer to our positions.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using the so-called “ceasefire” to at least temporarily halt the advance of Ukrainian forces in the east. “What will be the result? Just a further increase in the number of victims. Everyone in the world knows how the Kremlin is using the lull in the war to continue the confrontation with renewed vigour,” says Zelenskyy. Even EU Council President Charles Michel is convinced of the hypocrisy of the Kremlin chief’s announcement. And the Biden administration speaks of a “cynical truce” with the sole purpose of “getting a breath of fresh air”.
The war in Ukraine, global tensions: what you need to know
Live news from the Ukraine-Russia conflict
Important points
06:52 US State Department: Russian ceasefire is ‘cynical’
08:57
GB: pro-Russian militias integrated into the Moscow Armed Forces
The pro-Russian militias of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in Donbass, Ukraine, who are fighting alongside these Moscow troops, were officially integrated into the Russian army on December 31, British intelligence claims today in its daily briefing on the war in the Russian Federation Ukraine quoted by the Guardian.
The same bulletin points out that Moscow now considers these territories part of the Russian Federation, but claims they are perceived as a divisive element in Russia, which many believe is a waste of financial resources and entails political and diplomatic costs for doing so Country.
08:13
Kyiv: 453 minors killed since war began
Since the beginning of the war, 453 minors have been killed and 877 seriously injured, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said in a telegram. The very young victims were mainly registered in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Chernikov, Lugansk and Dnepropetrovsk oblasts.
07:20
Among the new US aid to Kyiv are 50 Bradley vehicles
The US government will also include 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in the upcoming military aid package to Ukraine, which is expected to be announced today. This was announced by the agency Portal. On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden teased that Washington was considering extraditing Bradley to Ukraine. The package will be valued at around $2.8 billion.
06:52
US State Department: Russian ceasefire is ‘cynical’
Moscow’s proposal for a 36-hour truce in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas is “cynical” and just an attempt by Putin to “get a shot in the arm,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “There is no word that could describe (the ceasefire proposal) better than ‘cynical’. reattach it,” Price said.
The tank attack on the Russian trenches as in 1916
03:04
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida invited to visit Ukraine
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been invited to visit Ukraine. “Japan stands by the citizens of Ukraine… and is taking the appropriate steps as this year’s G7 leader,” said Japanese Chief Cabinet Hirokazu Matsuno. Next week, Kishida will visit G7 member countries including France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, an important diplomatic tour before Japan hosts the annual G7 summit in Hiroshima in May.
00:09
Latvia: We want to strengthen Moldova’s resilience
Latvia will commit to strengthening “Moldova’s resilience” to Russian threats and to cooperating in its European integration process. This was stated by Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rink?vi?s at the end of the bilateral meeting with his Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu, which took place today in Riga.
00:04
Zelenskyy: “Ceasefire only serves to prepare new attacks”
“The Russian authorities want to use Christmas as a cover to halt the advance of our guys in Donbass, if only for a while, and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilization closer to our positions.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said so in his evening message, commenting on Vladimir Putin’s demand for a 36-hour truce for Orthodox Christmas.