KYIV: The head of the Russian Orthodox Church on Thursday called for a 36-hour Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine at the end of this week, but his appeal looked unlikely to bring any breakthrough in halting the war that began with Moscow's invasion of the country last February.

Moscow Patriarch Kirill suggested a truce from Friday noon through midnight on Saturday, local time. The Russian Orthodox Church, which uses the ancient Julian calendar, celebrates Christmas on January 7, 13 days later than in the Gregorian calendar.

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