The Russian government said on Wednesday that there is currently no truce for Christmas or New Year’s in Ukraine under discussion.
“No proposal has been received from anyone and the issue is not on the agenda,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after being asked about a possible halt to the fighting in Ukraine.
The Kremlin spokesman did not reveal a date for President Vladimir Putin’s annual speech to the Russian parliament.
The president has already resigned, without giving explanations, his big annual press conference, at a time when the military campaign in Ukraine is facing several setbacks.
Russia has already ruled out the possibility of a military withdrawal from Ukraine and has vowed to fight on.
Denis Pushlin, Russia’s appointed official for eastern Ukraine, said he wanted to “liberate” two more airlines in the country, the Odessa region on the Black Sea and Chernihiv in the north, according to an interview with RIA Novosti news agency.
Asked about the statement, Peskov insisted that the priority was “protection of residents of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions” in eastern Ukraine.
