Combating between Ukrainian and Russian forces continued early Saturday, regardless of an ongoing unilateral cease-fire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the Orthodox Christmas vacation. Moscow and Kyiv have blamed one another for the continued shelling, whereas Ukraine, america and others have dismissed the 36-hour truce, that began at midday Friday, as a ploy.
The British protection ministry mentioned Saturday that preventing in Ukraine had continued “at a routine degree,” whereas the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of protection for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia mentioned Friday that Putin’s name for a pause in hostilities must be taken “with a grain of salt … this is similar man who mentioned he wouldn’t invade Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Saturday for changing into Home Speaker, including that Kyiv was “counting in your continued assist and additional U.S. help to carry our frequent victory nearer.”
Right here’s the most recent on the struggle and its influence throughout the globe.
4. From our correspondents
The erstwhile comic Zelensky is now lionized as an inspirational chief throughout a lot of the globe. Right here, as performed by a compact look-alike named Michal Felek Felczak, he’s additionally the president subsequent door, a determine not above a bit of roasting. Within the play, he spars with a double for Putin despatched to taunt him, debates historical past with the ghost of Rasputin and geese for canopy each time an earsplitting bombing raid resounds.
The piece is likely one of the extra robustly satirical entries in Krakow’s annual Divine Comedy Worldwide Theatre Pageant, a bustling, nine-day theater marathon in a rustic that has absorbed hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring Ukraine amid the battle.
Mariana Alfaro and Mary Ilyushina contributed to this report.
