The US State Department did not support the Pope's call for a truce in all conflicts

The U.S. State Department did not support the call of Pope Francis for a truce in all conflicts for the Christmas period. This was announced on Monday, December 9, by the head of the State Department's press service Matthew Miller.

"There are a number of conflicts in which we are trying to achieve a ceasefire. Certainly the conflict in Gaza, the conflict in Sudan. But if you look, for example, at the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, ultimately this decision (on a ceasefire in the region. - Ed.) should be made by Ukraine," Miller said at a regular briefing for journalists, responding to a question about joining the pontiff's initiative.

The diplomat added that the US wants the conflicts to be resolved, but this does not mean an immediate ceasefire.

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Earlier in the day, Ukraine set up a contact group to end the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke earlier about the creation of this contact group. He suggested that it should be composed of representatives of Germany, Poland, France and the UK, as well as Denmark, which would represent Northern Europe.

Ukrainian media reported that at a December 7 meeting in Paris between Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and Republican Donald Trump, the winner of the US presidential election, discussed freezing the conflict in Ukraine. Zelensky said at the time that more than anyone else in the world, he wanted the crisis to end.

Trump, at a meeting with Zelensky at the Elysee Palace, suggested to him an immediate ceasefire. However, the Ukrainian president later responded with a denial in his Telegram channel. The Republican then also said that Zelensky would like to "make a deal" with Russia. Trump called for immediate negotiations and a halt to hostilities, otherwise the conflict could escalate.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on Trump's statement about Kiev's desire for a "deal," recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said many times that Russia is open to negotiations and welcomes settlement proposals submitted by China, India, Brazil and other states.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, is ongoing. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region.