The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has called for a 36-hour Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine but his appeal looks unlikely to bring any breakthrough in halting the war that began nearly 11 months ago with Russia's invasion.But that professed readiness came with the usual preconditions: that "Kyiv authorities fulfil the well-known and repeatedly stated demands and recognise new territorial realities," the Kremlin said, referring to Russia's insistence that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia and acknowledge other territorial gains."We have no indications that President Putin has changed his plans, his goals for Ukraine," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Oslo.In the latest pledge of military help, the French Defence Ministry said it plans talks soon with its Ukrainian counterpart on delivering armoured combat vehicles.Taking the city in the Donbas region, an expansive industrial area bordering Russia, would not only give Putin a major battlefield gain after months of setbacks but it also would rupture Ukraine's supply lines and open the way for Russian forces to press on toward key Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk."