Ukraine dismissed as a trick a unilateral order by Russia for a 36-hour ceasefire starting on Friday and the leaders of the United States and Germany said they were sending armoured fighting vehicles in a boost for the Kyiv government.

President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to cease firing from midday on Friday along the entire front, in response to a call for a Christmas truce from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a close Putin ally.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected the ceasefire and called it a trick. His adviser, Mikhailo Podolyak, said Russia “must leave the occupied territories – only then will it have a ‘temporary truce’.”

U.S. President Joe Biden suggested the ceasefire offer was a sign of desperation. “I think he’s trying to find some oxygen,” he told reporters at the White House.

Source: Tap News Agency