Russian troops on camouflaged tanks
The announcement of the truce was all properly orchestrated: first a request from the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kiril, famously close to the Kremlin, which was duly and promptly accepted by Vladimir Putin himself.
Russia thus decrees a unilateral ceasefire on Orthodox Christmas, from Friday noon to midnight Saturday (local time).
Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.
Sign up to our free daily newsletter.It is the first truce since the beginning of the Russian invasion, just over 10 months ago. Yet unfortunately, this should not be seen as the prelude to any significant let up in the fighting.
The conditions for real negotiations do not exist, and if a proof was needed, Vladimir Putin offered it in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He says he is ready for a “serious dialogue” with Ukraine, he says, only if the authorities in Kyiv “take into account the new territorial realities.” That means they recognize the annexation in 2022 of four regions of Ukraine, plus Crimea that had already been annexed in 2014.
A religiously charged symbol
As you can imagine, Ukraine is not ready to accept these conditions: In his New Year’s message, Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to fight until “total victory,” which means not only the return to the borders of February 23, but to the ones of 1991, Donbas and Crimea included.
The Orthodox Christmas is charged this year with major symbolic weight. The Orthodox Church has experienced a schism between its Russian and Ukrainian branches, and the Patriarchate of Kyiv has given permission to the faithful to celebrate Christmas on December 25, according to the Gregorian calendar, and not on January 7, as the Julian calendar indicates.
But this difference is also very political: December 25 is one more step towards Europe, turning its back on Russia and its influence.
With Patriarch Kirill's blessing
The previous month, 19 monasteries and places of worship in Ukraine, still affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, were raided by Ukrainian security services. They are suspected of supporting the Russian war effort, of forming a sort of “fifth column” in Ukraine.
This showdown is accentuated by the role of Patriarch Kirill in Moscow, who gives his blessing to Putin’s war, while part of the Russian propaganda denounces the Ukrainian leaders as “creatures of Satan.”
This ceasefire is therefore largely about communication. In fact, each side tries to show that it is not responsible for the continuation, and even the escalation of the war.
Putin in Moscow on WednesdayMore war in the works
Kyiv and Moscow say they are both full of good intentions to negotiate, but each time setting unacceptable requests to the other party.
A 36-hour ceasefire, in other words, does not make peace.
Right now, Ukraine believes it is able to continue its battlefield advantage, especially with the announcements of new deliveries of Western weapons, those from France this week, for example; while Putin is not about to recognize his defeat, and indeed appears to be preparing to widen the mobilization of the war effort.
A 36-hour ceasefire, in other words, does not make peace. On the contrary, more war is in the works, as we approach the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s fateful decision to invade his neighbor.
- Why Zelensky Will Not Promise Victory In 2023 ›
- In 2023, Putin Has These Three Choices In Ukraine ›
- Should We Even Be Talking With Putin? ›
- Why Are There No Peace Talks? Kremlin And Kyiv Trade Blame ›
- Blood Of Bakhmut: Why Both Sides Are Ready To Die For A Deserted City In Donbas - Worldcrunch ›
- Dnipro, A Heinous Attack Sparks Hard Questions About Weapon Supplies — On Both Sides - Worldcrunch ›
