Will the guns really be silent for 36 hours? Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (January 5th) ordered a ceasefire in Ukraine for the Orthodox Christmas of January 6th and 7th, the first major truce since the start of the invasion almost a year ago. year, castigated by kyiv which denounces “hypocrisy” and a desire to save time. The day after the announcement by France to send light tanks to Ukraine, the United States and Germany promised kyiv, in a joint press release, the delivery of armored infantry, of the Bradley type on the American side and of the Marder model. German side.
- Putin orders a ceasefire in Ukraine on January 6-7
This ceasefire was declared after a request by Patriarch Kirill, the Kremlin said. “In view of the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Russian Minister of Defense to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine from 12:00 p.m. on 6 January of this year until midnight on January 7,” Vladimir Putin said in the Kremlin statement.
The Russian president also called on the Ukrainian forces to respect this truce in order to give the possibility to the Orthodox, the majority faith in Ukraine as in Russia, “to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the day of the Nativity of Christ. “. This ceasefire, the first of magnitude since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February, comes after a request to this effect from the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill, a close supporter of Vladimir Putin. Russia’s announcement of a ceasefire in Ukraine on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas “will do nothing to advance the prospects for peace,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Thursday.
Same story on the side of German diplomacy. She said on Thursday that the “so-called” Russian ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas will bring “neither freedom nor security to people who live in daily fear under Russian occupation.” For his part, the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhaïlo Podoliak, described Thursday as “hypocrisy” the announcement of a ceasefire, accusing Moscow of wanting to “win time”.
- Washington and Berlin announce more military aid
The United States and Germany will deliver to Ukraine infantry armored vehicles, of the Bradley type on the American side and of the Marder model on the German side, taking a new step forward in Western military support to kyiv in the fight against the invasion Russian. “The war in Ukraine has reached a turning point,” Joe Biden told a White House meeting on Thursday, adding that “the Russians are not (relaxing) in anything,” before announcing increased US support to Ukraine.
Germany, under international pressure to beef up its military assistance to Ukraine, has also pledged to provide a Patriot anti-aircraft defense battery, as the United States has already done. “It is logical that we take this step. Ukraine has the right to defend itself against Russia’s attack and it is our duty to help it to this end,” said the German Minister of Foreign Affairs. Economy and Climate Robert Habeck. These announcements follow a telephone conversation between the US President and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who expressed their “joint determination” to support Ukraine, according to a joint statement.
- Biden judges that Putin is trying to “give himself some air”
Joe Biden estimated Thursday that Vladimir Putin was seeking “to give himself some air” by announcing a ceasefire in Ukraine on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, which would be the first major truce since the start of the Russian invasion. The Russian president “was ready to bomb hospitals, nurseries and churches […] December 25 and New Years […] I think he is trying to give himself some air,” said the American president, questioned on this subject after a speech at the White House.
Joe Biden announced shortly after, in concert with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, increased military assistance to Ukraine, including the delivery by the two countries of light armored vehicles.
- Jevago says he is the victim of a “political affair”
The wealthy businessman and former Ukrainian deputy Kostiantin Jevago, the subject of an extradition request from his country, portrayed himself Thursday before French justice as a “political” victim, before being released on bail Hearing before the investigative chamber of the Chambéry Court of Appeal was to be devoted to the validity of Ukraine’s extradition request, which led to the arrest of Kostiantin Jevago on December 28 in Courchevel in Savoie .
But this debate was postponed to January 19, as requested by his lawyers, MM. François Zimeray and Etienne Arnaud, supported moreover by Advocate General Richard Pallain. Reason: the need to examine all the documents in this 244-page file “with dozens of decisions in Ukrainian to be translated, and reports on human rights in this country”, explained Me Arnaud.