Russia says Christmas ceasefire 'not on agenda' as US missile systems will be on 'target'

Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that US missile defence systems in Ukraine will definitely be "lawful targets", adding that he will not comment on media reports that have not been confirmed, reported Sky News. He was responding to the media reports that are suggesting the US will be sending Patriot missile defence systems to Ukraine. The Patriot missile defence systems have a reputation of being quite capable. They are designed to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles. 

If these US missile systems indeed end up in Ukraine, it will be a significant setback for Russia's goal of damaging Ukraine's critical infrastructure. These US missile systems will be able to stop a substantial amount of missiles Russia is launching, however, it isn't clear if they will be able to defend against a swarm of drones. When asked if Russia has received any proposals about a "Christmas ceasefire" in Ukraine, Peskov said that a Christmas ceasefire "was not on the agenda". Recently, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had called for withdrawal of Russian troops from his country by Christmas as the first step towards a peace deal in the conflict.

Is Ukraine's demand that Russian troops withdraw by X'mas realisitc? 

Zelenskyy earlier this week told leaders of the G7 to back a peace plan that will start with the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. This seems wishful thinking. Russia has suffered a significant amount of diplomatic and economic setback as a result of the war, apart from all the Russian mothers who have lost their sons to the war. 

It is highly unlikely Russia will withdraw its troops now. All of the losses, the reputation loss, the monetary loss and the loss of blood, the loss of tears, the loss of a mother, the loss of a sister, the loss of a wife has to be for something. If it turns out that all of that loss was for nothing, the pillars of Putin's might start trembling. Dmitry Peskov himself alluded that Russia's won't be going back, when he said that Kyiv needs to acknowledge new territorial realities. New territorial realities refers to Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian provinces. In other words, Russia presumably won't be leaving any time soon. 

What is Christmas truce?

Vladimir Putin's recent statement in which he says war in Ukraine could go on for a long time also backs this view. As Christmas nears, it remains to be seen how Russians and Ukrainians will celebrate on the war front. On the east of Dnipro, Russian troops are standing guard in the cold trenches as the snow falls from the sky above them. Images of the war resemble the historic Battle of Somme. The Battle of Somme is known for the extraordinary number of lives lost. Nearly 1 million were killed or injured during this battle. The battle is also the first instance when human beings, mostly from working class background, used poison gas to kill each other, in the name of their nation's King and Kaiser. 

Christmas is a sacred day, sanctified by the birth of Jesus Christ, who was born in the town of Bethlehem, Palestine, where the church of nativity stands today. Both Ukraine and Russia are Orthodox Christian nations. The Battle of Somme was a part of the 1st World War. In the very same 1st World War, during Christmas, British and German soldiers temporarily laid down their arms and came together on the battlefield to exchange gifts, play football (soccer), and even sing carols together. This spontaneous gesture of goodwill and humanity was known as the "Christmas Truce" and it occurred in 1914, shortly after the start of the war. The truce was not officially sanctioned by the commanders on either side and was ultimately short-lived, but it remains a powerful symbol of the potential for peace and understanding even in the midst of war.