“The Russian authorities want to use Christmas as a cover to stop the advance of our guys in the Donbass, if only for a while, and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilize closer to our positions.” Thus the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, commented in his evening message on the 36-hour truce for the Orthodox Christmas requested by Vladimir Putin. “This,” he added, “will only lead to another increase in the number of victims.” The truce should last from 12 today to 24 on 7 January. For the US president, Joe Biden, Putin “is just looking for some oxygen” and understands that the Patriots work
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Usa: Moscow’s proposal on truce is “cynical”
Moscow’s proposal for a 36-hour truce in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas is “cynical” and is just an attempt by Putin to “gain a shot in the arm”: this was stated by US State Department spokesman Ned Price in a press briefing, reported by the Guardian. «There is no word that can better describe (the truce proposal) than “cynical”. Our concern (…) is that the Russians try to use any temporary lull in the fighting to rest, recover, regroup and, eventually, re-attack,” Price said. The proposed truce should start at noon (10 am in Italy) on Epiphany day and end at midnight (10 pm in Italy) on Saturday 7 January, the day of Orthodox Christmas according to the Julian calendar.
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Latvia: We want to strengthen Moldova’s resilience
Latvia will undertake to “strengthen the resilience” of Moldova against the threats posed by Russia and to cooperate in its European integration process. This was stated by Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs at the end of the bilateral meeting with his Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu held in Riga. During their meeting, the two ministers discussed bilateral relations between Latvia and Moldova, Moldova’s integration into the European Union, the impact of Russian aggression against Ukraine on Moldova and other topical issues relating to the security situation in the region, including energy and the migration crisis. Rinkevičs pointed out that Latvia will make its skills and experience available to strengthen Moldova’s response capacity to hybrid attacks and difficulties in the field of energy supply that the country has been experiencing since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.
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Biden: «Putin is looking for some oxygen. He understands that the Patriots work »
“Germany will also supply Ukraine with a battery of Patriot missiles.” US President Joe Biden said this during a meeting of his cabinet, referring to the “long discussion” he had with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in which it was also decided to send Bradley and Marden armored vehicles to Kiev. The war in Ukraine is currently at a “critical point,” Biden said, and “we must do everything we can to help Ukrainians resist the Russian invasion.”
The Russian troops, he added, “are not giving up at all”. Thus, “we will increase support for Ukraine.” As for the Patriots, Biden said that they serve Ukraine to “defend themselves against Russian air attacks” and that “they work and the Russians are beginning to understand that they work well”. The Patriots, the president said again, “will help a lot”.