The Kremlin has rejected the request.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres requested a four-day ceasefire in Ukraine and Russia for the Orthodox Holy Week, which began Thursday and ends with the Orthodox Easter on Sunday.
“Easter is a season for renewal, resurrection, and hope. But this year, Holy Week is being observed under the cloud of a war that represents the total negation of the Easter message,” the secretary general said. “The four-day Easter period should be a moment to unite around saving lives and furthering dialogue to end the suffering in Ukraine.”
Both Russia and Ukraine have a large Orthodox population, with roughly 78 percent of Ukrainians identifying as Orthodox.
“It is well known that for Eastern Christianity this day has a special resonance and importance,” said an Orthodox priest from Romania who is the acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches. “The history reminds us that even in the most difficult moments of persecutions, wars and sufferings, nobody could stop the faithful singing and proclaiming boldly the Easter hymn which affirms the victory of life over death, of light over the darkness, of freedom over tyranny.”
The Kremlin has rejected the temporary ceasefire request. Russia’s deputy UN ambassador to the Security Council said, “Calls to establish humanitarian ceasefire were insincere and in practice they merely point to an aspiration to provide Kyiv nationalists breathing room to regroup and receive more drones, more antitank missiles, and more [portable air-defense systems].”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield as she represents the U.S. at the United Nations.
- For Secretary Blinken as he continues diplomatic efforts with allies in Europe.
- For discernment for the president as he interacts with foreign heads of state regarding Russia and Ukraine.
Sources: Washington Examiner, Reuters
