Biden says Putin trying to find 'oxygen' with truce proposal

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about U.S.-Mexico border security and enforcement, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden suggested Vladimir Putin's struggle in Ukraine after 10 months of war and thousands of lives lost had prompted the Russian president to offer a 36-hour truce, saying, "I think he's trying to find some oxygen."

The Kremlin said Putin had ordered a ceasefire from midday on Friday after a call for a Christmas truce by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, head of the Russian Orthodox Church.