Ukraine spurned an offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a 36-hour ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas, saying there would be no truce until Russia withdraws its invading forces from occupied land.
The Kremlin said Putin had ordered a ceasefire from midday on Friday after a call for a Christmas truce from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
"Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact of the parties in Ukraine from 12.00 on 6 January 2023 until midnight on 7 January 2023," Putin said in the order.
"Proceeding from the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas Day," Putin said.
But Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak tweeted back that Russia "must leave the occupied territories – only then will it have a 'temporary truce'. Keep hypocrisy to yourself."
He said that unlike Russia, Ukraine was not attacking foreign territory or killing civilians, only destroying "members of the occupation army on its territory".
First. Ukraine doesn't attack foreign territory & doesn't kill civilians. As RF does. Ukraine destroys only members of the occupation army on its territory...
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) January 5, 2023
Second. RF must leave the occupied territories - only then will it have a "temporary truce". Keep hypocrisy to yourself.
Podolyak had earlier rejected Kirill's for a truce as "a cynical trap and an element of propaganda". He described the Russian Orthodox Church, which has endorsed the invasion, as a "war propagandist" that had incited the "mass murder" of Ukrainians and the militarisation of Russia.
US President Joe Biden said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin's order for a two-day ceasefire was simply an effort to find breathing room for his war effort.
"He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches" on 25 December and on New Year's Day, Biden said, adding: "I think he's trying to find some oxygen."
European Council President Charles Michel said the call was "hypocritical" and the only route to restore peace is for Russia to withdraw its troops from the country.
"Withdrawal of Russian troops is only serious option to restore peace and security. Announcement of unilateral ceasefire is as bogus and hypocritical as the illegal and grotesque annexations and accompanying referenda."
There's an aggressor: the Kremlin. And a victim:the Ukrainian people. Withdrawal of Russian troops is only serious option to restore peace & security. Announcement of unilateral ceasefire is as bogus & hypocritical as the illegal & grotesque annexations and accompanying referenda
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) January 5, 2023
Ukraine has previously dismissed the prospect of any Russian call for a ceasefire as an attempt by Moscow to secure some respite for its troops, which Ukraine is trying to force from territory Russia seized by force after its invasion last February.
Russia's Orthodox Church observes Christmas on 7 January. Ukraine's main Orthodox Church has rejected the authority of the Moscow patriarch, and many Ukrainian believers have shifted their calendar, celebrating Christmas on 25 December as in the West.
Earlier on Thursday, Russia and Ukraine made clear there would be no peace talks between them any time soon, effectively spurning an offer of mediation by Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, who spoke separately to both Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The Kremlin said Putin had told Erdogan Moscow was ready for talks - but only under the condition that Ukraine "take into account the new territorial realities", a reference to acknowledging Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine's Podolyak called that demand "fully unacceptable".
Germany and US to send combat vehicles to Ukraine
The leaders of the United States and Germany on Thursday announced they were sending armoured fighting vehicles to Ukraine, ramping up military support for Kyiv to repel Russian forces after a similar move by France earlier this week.
In a joint statement after a call between President Joe Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the United States said it would provide Ukraine with Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles while Germany would provide Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles.
Both countries agreed to train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use them, it said, while Germany would also supply a Patriot air defence battery to Ukraine, which has scored some battlefield successes since Russian forces invaded last February but has asked allies for heavier weapons to defend itself.
"President Biden and Chancellor Scholz expressed their common determination to continue to provide the necessary financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine for as long as needed," the statement said.
The decision was announced after Scholz's government faced a chorus of calls from within his three-way coalition to beef up military support for Ukraine after France announced it was sending light AMX-10 RC armoured combat vehicles.
Meanwhile, fighting continues between Ukrainian and Russian troops in eastern regions, as Kyiv tries to pushback occupying forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the West to provide his army with heavy tanks to boost their firepower.
The Ukrainian military said the Russians were focused on an offensive in the Bakhmut sector of the Donetsk region, but their attacks in the Avdiivka and Kupiansk sectors were unsuccessful.
The governor of neighbouring Luhansk region, meanwhile, said Ukrainian troops were recapturing areas there "step-by-step" but cautioned it was "not happening fast".
Luhansk and Donetsk make up the Donbas region, Ukraine's industrial heartland, parts of which were seized by Russian-backed proxies in 2014.
Russia declared Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as part of its territory in September after sham referendums condemned by Ukraine and Western countries. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions.
Bakhmut, which is now largely in ruins after months of battering by Russian artillery, is important because the Russian leadership wants a success to hold up to its public after a series of setbacks in the war.
It is located on a strategic supply line between the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Gaining control of the city, with a pre-war population of 70,000-80,000 that has shrunk to close to 10,000, could give Russia a stepping stone to advance on two bigger cities - Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Fighting has been particularly tough there, with commanders on both sides describing it as a "meat grinder".
Ukraine's military said it estimated 800 Russian soldiers were killed in the past day, mostly in fighting in Donetsk. The figure - which would signify a huge loss of life for a single day - could not be independently confirmed.
The Luhansk governor, Serhiy Haidai, said he expected fighting to intensify across the eastern front as temperatures drop further and the ground freezes.
"Then the opportunity to use heavy equipment will open up," he said.
In Moscow, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, had earlier called for both sides of the war to observe a truce for the Orthodox Christmas over Friday and Saturday. Kyiv dismissed the move as propaganda from a figure it sees as supporting Mr Putin's assault on Ukraine.
A senior US administration official also predicted a long road ahead in the war that has now raged for nearly 11 months.
"The fighting is still quite hot (in Donetsk)...what we're seeing in Bakhmut we should expect to see elsewhere along the front, that there will be continued fighting in the coming months," the official said in Washington on Wednesday.
In his evening video address on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky urged Western allies to provide his army with tanks and heavy weapons to combat the Russian forces.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday his government would send light AMX-10 RC armoured combat vehicles to help its war effort.
Mr Zelensky thanked Mr Macron but said: "There is no rational reason why Ukraine has not yet been supplied with Western tanks."
The Ukrainian leader also said his troops outside Bakhmut were inflicting numerous losses on their adversaries and Russia was building up its forces in the region.
Russian air, missile and rocket attacks on Bakhmut and two other cities in Donetsk - Kostiantynivka and Kurakhove – had caused an unspecified number of civilian casualties, Ukraine's military said.
Russia denies targeting civilians in what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
Luhansk governor Haidai, asked on national television about the possibility of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in that region, said the cities of Rubizhne and Sievierodonetsk had been destroyed by Russian occupation forces and could no longer be used as strongholds.
"But we should not forget that there is also the defence line, which they (Russian proxies) have been building since 2014 - the occupiers have very fortified positions there. Therefore, it will not be easy to liberate the Luhansk region," he said.
Russia was sending in extra troops, including conscripts, Mr Haidai added.
Yegeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed governor of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia region in the southeast, said Ukrainian artillery killed five people and wounded 15 including four emergency workers, Russia's TASS news agency reported.
Reuters could not independently verify battlefield accounts from either side.
As the war grinds on, the Kyiv government has repeatedly asked Western allies for heavier fighting vehicles such as the Abrams and German-made Leopard tanks.
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the United States was considering sending lighter Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. The Bradley has a powerful gun and has been a US Army staple to carry troops since the mid-1980s.
The United States is preparing another package of weapons, which could be announced in coming days on top of about $21.3 billion in security assistance so far to Ukraine.
The United States has increased the capability of the weapons it has sent.
During a visit by Mr Zelensky to Washington last month, the United States pledged to send the Patriot missile system to repel Russian missile and drone attacks.
Russia invaded last February, citing threats to its security and a need to protect Russian speakers. Ukraine and its allies accuse Russia of an unprovoked war to seize territory.
