By Kathleen Magramo, Jack Guy, Ed Upright, Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal and Leinz Vales, CNN
Updated 1:58 a.m. ET, January 6, 2023
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2:38 p.m. ET, January 5, 2023
Biden says Putin is “trying to find some oxygen” with ceasefire order in Ukraine
From CNN's Betsy Klein
US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden expressed skepticism about the ceasefire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine for Orthodox Christian Christmas services on Jan. 6 and 7.
“I'm reluctant to respond (to) anything Putin says. I found it interesting. He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year’s,” Biden told reporters Thursday.
“I mean, I think he's trying to find some oxygen,” he added.
CNN previously reported that Putin ordered his defense minister Thursday to order a ceasefire in Ukraine for 36 hours starting at noon on Jan. 6. The pause would allow Orthodox Christians to attend Christmas services, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
Many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.
2:37 p.m. ET, January 5, 2023
Germany says it's working with allies as pressure mounts to send modern tanks to Ukraine
From CNN’s Nadine Schmidt in Berlin
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks at a press conference in Lisbon, Portugal, on January 4. (Christophe Gateau/dpa/AP)
Germany has said that it is moving “together” with its Western allies as far as further weapon supplies to Ukraine is concerned.
''Both the US and France have jointly considered how to better provide support (to Ukraine),'' German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters Thursday. ''We in Germany are also considering what more we can do together with our allies.”
Ukraine has repeatedly called on Germany to send modern arms for use in the war against Russia, including Leopard tanks and Marder tanks.
When asked Thursday if Germany will send modern military vehicles to Ukraine, Baerbock said, ''We are going together with our partners,'' without confirming what kind of new weapons Germany may potentially send.
Her comments echoed remarks from German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck earlier on Thursday who said that Germany will adjust weapon deliveries according “to the needs of the battlefield,” CNN affiliate NTV reported.
The pressure on Germany was only amplified by France’s announcement Wednesday that it is set to become the first Western country to deliver light-combat vehicles to Ukraine.
2:34 p.m. ET, January 5, 2023
Russia says it has instructed its troops to observe temporary ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas
From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks on December 26, 2022, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Russian troops have been instructed to observe a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine starting at noon on Jan. 6, Russia's defense ministry said in a statement Thursday.
“In accordance with the instruction of the President, instructions were given to the troops to introduce a ceasefire regime for 36 hours from 12.00 on January 6 to 24.00 on January 7 along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine,” it said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier Thursday ordered his defense minister to introduce the temporary ceasefire in Ukraine to allow Orthodox Christians to attend Christmas services.
12:16 p.m. ET, January 5, 2023
Kyiv dismisses Putin's call for 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine as "hypocrisy"
From CNN's Sarah Dean and Yulia Kesaieva
Adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak is pictured in Kyiv, Ukraine, on November 22. (Hennadii Minchenko/Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Getty Images)
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, said Russia must leave “occupied territories” in Ukraine before any “temporary truce."
“First. Ukraine doesn't attack foreign territory and doesn't kill civilians. As RF [Russian Federation] does. Ukraine destroys only members of the occupation army on its territory," Podolyak said.
“Second. RF must leave the occupied territories — only then will it have a ‘temporary truce’. Keep hypocrisy to yourself,” Podolyak said on Twitter.
Prior to Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, Podolyak responded to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow’s appeal for a “Christmas truce," saying the statement was a “cynical trap and an element of propaganda”.
“ROC [Russian Orthodox Church] is not an authority for global Orthodoxy & acts as a ‘war propagandist’,” Podolyak said on Twitter.
“ROC called for the genocide of Ukrainians, incited mass murder and insists on even greater militarization of RF [Russian Federation]," he added.
Some background: Kirill has been a vocal supporter of the war in Ukraine and gave a sermon in which he said that “military duty washes away all sins."
The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has also been locked in a feud with Pope Francis, who has described the invasion of Ukraine as Russian “expansionism and imperialism.”
Serhiy Hayday, head of Luhansk region military administration, also said, "Russia cannot be trusted. Not a single word they say."
“Regarding this truce, they just want to get some kind of a pause for a day or two to pull even more reserves, bring some more ammo,” he told Ukrainian television.
10:44 a.m. ET, January 5, 2023
Russia announces temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas services, Kremlin says
From CNN's Sugan Pokharel and Anna Chernova
Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan of Kyiv and Ukraine Epifanii, center, heads the divine liturgy at St Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral on Christmas, Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 7, 2021. (Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered his defense minister to implement a ceasefire in Ukraine for 36 hours on Jan. 6 and 7 to allow Orthodox Christians to attend Christmas services, according to a statement from the Kremlin.
Many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.
"Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to introduce from 12:00 January 6, 2023 until 24:00 January 7, 2023, a ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine. Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ," according to the statement.
Earlier on Thursday, Patriarch Kirill — the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church and a vocal supporter of the war — had called for a temporary ceasefire.
10:24 a.m. ET, January 5, 2023
At least 4 killed in Kherson region, Ukrainian officials say
From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv
Local residents carry the body of a man killed during Russian shelling in Kherson, Ukraine, on January 5. (LIBKOS/AP)
At least four people have been killed in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region on Thursday, according to Ukrainian officials.
A family of three was killed in their home in the city of Beryslav due to shelling, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
"This is all the baseness and meanness of Russia. In the morning, they talk about the ‘Christmas ceasefire,’ and in the afternoon they kill the whole family. What did the husband, wife and their 12-year-old son do wrong? The fact that they are just Ukrainians?" Tymoshenko wrote on Telegram, making a reference to Patriarch Kirill's call for a temporary ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas.
Shelling in the city of Kherson also killed an 18-year-old man, said Yaroslav Yanushevych, head of Kherson region military administration.
The city of Kherson was retaken from Russian forces in November.
10:40 a.m. ET, January 5, 2023
Putin tells Turkey's Erdogan that Ukraine must accept "new territorial realities" to negotiate
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova and Ipek Yezdani
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting of his ruling AK Party in Ankara, Turkey, on January 5. (Presidential Press Office/Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has positioned himself as a broker in the Russia-Ukraine conflict throughout 2022, held separate phone calls Thursday with both President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He told Zelensky that Turkey was ready to undertake a mediator and facilitator role for lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine and that it could provide diplomatic efforts regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a Turkish government readout of the call said.
In his call with Putin, Erdogan told him that calls for peace and negotiations should be supported by a unilateral declaration of ceasefire and a vision of “a fair solution.”
Putin, however, told Erdogan that Moscow is open to "serious dialogue," but Kyiv must accept the “new territorial realities,” according to a Kremlin statement.
“In light of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's readiness for Turkish mediation for a political settlement of the conflict, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s openness to serious dialogue, provided that the Kyiv authorities comply with the well-known and repeatedly voiced demands and take into account new territorial realities,” the Kremlin said following a phone call between the two leaders on Thursday.
Putin also emphasized “the destructive role of the West, pumping Ukraine with weapons and providing it with target designation,” the Kremlin said.
The readout also mentioned that the two leaders discussed expanding ties in the energy sector and Putin also asked to lift barriers on Russian exports as part of the Black Sea grain deal.
What Zelensky says: Later on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he and Erdogan “discussed security cooperation” between their two countries and “nuclear safety issues, in particular the situation at ZNPP (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station).”
“There should be no invaders there. We also talked about the exchange of prisoners of war with Turkish mediation, the development of the grain agreement. We appreciate Türkiye's willingness to take part in the implementation of our Peace Formula,” Zelensky said on Telegram, following a phone call between the two leaders.
9:25 a.m. ET, January 5, 2023
Belarus will increase joint military grouping with Russia
From Uliana Pavlova and Sarah Dean
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced Thursday it is continuing to increase its joint military grouping with Russia in Belarus.
The ministry also announced upcoming joint air force exercises between the two countries.
“As part of ensuring the military security of the Union State, the build-up of the regional grouping of troops (forces) of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation continues,” the ministry said in a news release.
“Personnel, weapons, military and special equipment of the armed forces of the Russian Federation will continue to arrive to the Republic of Belarus," it said.
“Further combat coordination activities are planned with the arriving units at the training grounds of the Republic of Belarus,” according to the release.
Planned joint air force exercises are aimed at increasing the level of combat training for Belarusian and Russian air force members, the ministry said.
Some background: Russian forces are based in Belarus and used its territory in the initial invasion of Ukraine in February. But President Alexander Lukashenko has gone to some lengths to ensure that Belarus' troops do not become involved in Russia's "special military operation," the euphemism that the country calls its war in Ukraine.
Last month, Ukraine warned it does "not rule out" a "deliberate provocation" from Russia after Belarus said that the wreckage of a Ukrainian missile landed on its territory.
9:51 a.m. ET, January 5, 2023
NATO chief warns: "It is dangerous to underestimate Russia"
From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during NHO's (Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise) annual conference in Oslo Spektrum, Sweden, on January 5. (Stian Lysberg Solum/NTB/Reuters)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday warned of the danger of underestimating Russia during President Vladimir Putin’s “war of aggression against Ukraine.”
“The Ukrainian forces have inflicted heavy losses on Russia in Ukraine. But Russians have once again shown a willingness to take great risks and endure great human losses,” Stoltenberg said in a speech at a business conference in Oslo, Norway.
“They have already mobilized 200,000 extra troops. In addition, we know that they can acquire a lot of new material. And perhaps most importantly, there is no indication that Russia’s ambitions have changed,” he added.
“It is dangerous to underestimate Russia,” Stoltenberg continued.
