Putin orders Christmas truce with Ukraine on January 6-7

Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the country's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to start a 36-hour truce along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine from January 6 to 7, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

"Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Russian Defense Minister to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine from 12pm (9am GMT) on January 6 to 12am (9pm GMT) on January 7," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin also called on Kiev to declare a ceasefire based on the fact that a large number of Orthodox citizens live in the combat areas, according to the statement.