Russia has ruled out a “Christmas ceasefire” after nearly 10 months of war in Ukraine and rejected a call by Kyiv to start withdrawing troops by Christmas as a sign it was willing to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two.
Russia and Ukraine are not currently engaged in talks to end the fighting, with both sides making little to no gains in the last couple of months.
But on Wednesday, December 14, Ukraine experienced the first major drone attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv in weeks. Two administrative buildings were hit, but air defences largely repelled the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 13 drones had been shot down.
Zelensky said this week that Russia should start withdrawing by Christmas as a step to end the conflict, but Moscow rejected the proposal, saying Ukraine must accept the loss of territory to Russia before any progress can be made.
Asked on Wednesday whether Moscow had seen proposals for a “Christmas ceasefire,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “No, no such offers have been received from anybody. This topic is not on the agenda.”
Tens of thousands of people have been killed, millions more displaced and cities reduced to rubble since Russia invaded its neighbour on Feb. 24, saying it needed to protect Russian speakers from Ukrainian far-right nationalists. Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked war of choice.
