Cynical trap: Kyiv reacts to Russian patriarch’s call for "Christmas truce"

The call by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill (Gundyaev), to cease fire and establish a truce for Christmas is a “cynical trap” and a propaganda element.

That’s according to the adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, as reported by Ukrinform.

"ROC is not an authority for global Orthodoxy & acts as a ‘war propagandist’. ROC called for the genocide of Ukrainians, incited mass murder & insists on even greater militarization of RF. Thus, ROC's statement about "Christmas truce" is a cynical trap & an element of propaganda.," the report says.

As previously reported, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill (Gundyaev) proposed that the warring sides cease fire and establish a truce from 12:00 on January 6 to 24:00 on January 7, "so that Orthodox people could attend services on Christmas Day." At the same time, Kirill does not refer to the hostilities as war, opting for an “internecine conflict.”