Russia Insist no Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine
After over ten months of fighting in Ukraine, Moscow said that there will be no “Christmas ceasefire,” rejecting Kyiv’s demand that it begin pulling out soldiers by the holiday as a step toward putting an end to the continent’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two.
There are now no negotiations taking place between Russia and Ukraine to put an end to the combat, which is raging in the east and south with little progress on either side.
With the first significant drone strike on Kyiv in weeks on Wednesday, violence returned to the Ukrainian capital. Although two administrative buildings were struck, the attack was mostly thwarted by air defenses. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, claimed that 13 drones had been shot down.
Residents of a neighborhood in Kyiv where snow was on the ground reported hearing an Iranian Shahed drone’s loud engine humming followed by a big explosion at a structure close to their homes.
“I want this to all be over already. For that cretin, Russian President Vladimir Putin, to perish, “Yana, 39, who was getting ready for work when the attack occurred, made this statement.
Since Russia attacked its neighbor on February 24 under the pretext of defending Russian speakers from Ukrainian far-right nationalists, tens of thousands of people have died, millions more have been displaced, and cities have been left to rubble. It is referred to as an unprovoked war by Kiev and its allies.
Zelenskiy declared in a routine evening video address that there was no peace on the front lines as Russia had destroyed cities in the east with artillery, leaving only “naked wreckage and holes.”
Zelenskiy suggested last week that Russia begin its withdrawal by Christmas as a step to put an end to the conflict, but Moscow rejected the idea, claiming that before any progress can be made, Ukraine must acknowledge the loss of territory to Russia.
It’s tough to predict that this war will be concluded by the end of the year based just on what we are currently witnessing in the air and on the ground in Ukraine. John Kirby, the spokesperson for national security at the White House, stated in answer to a query regarding the prospects for a negotiated settlement.
Since October, Russia, which refers to the conflict as a “special military operation,” has bombarded energy infrastructure with missiles, disrupting power supply and leaving Ukrainians without heat during the bitterly cold winter.
This week, over 70 nations and organizations made pledges in Paris to contribute slightly over 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to support Ukraine’s water, food, energy, health, and transportation systems in the face of Russian attacks.
Credit: Rueters