The ceasefire ordered by Russia for Orthodox Christmas is due to begin this Friday, January 6 in Ukraine. This first major truce since the start of the invasion in February 2022 is a gesture interpreted by kyiv and its allies as Moscow's desire to gain time.Following a call from the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, but also a proposal from the Turkish Head of StateRecep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday asked his army to observe a "ceasefire across the line of contact between the parties from noon on 6 January this year until midnight on 7 January”. He called on the Ukrainian forces to respect this truce in order to give the possibility to the Orthodox, the majority faith in Ukraine as in Russia, to "attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the day of the Nativity of Christ". His Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky castigated this announcement which, according to him, is only an "apology with the aim of at least stopping the advance of our troops in the Donbass and bringing equipment, ammunition, and bringing closer men of our positions". "What will be the result?" No more deaths," he said. READ ALSOWar in Ukraine: These weapons that make the difference Volodymyr Zelensky, on the other hand, welcomed the "very important decision" of the United States and Germany, which promised kyiv the delivery of infantry armored vehicles, of the Bradley type on the American side and of the Marder model on the German side, after the announcement by France sending light tanks. Berlin has also pledged to provide a Patriot air defense battery, as Washington has already done.Putin and his ceasefire criticized by the West The ceasefire ordered by Moscow is the first general truce since the start of the conflict, with only local agreements having been reached so far, such as the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal factory in Mariupol in April. "Russia must leave the occupied territories, only then will there be a 'temporary truce'. Keep your hypocrisy,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak tweeted.