US President Donald Trump said Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Kiev and other cities for a week, as Ukraine faces its worst winter since the start of the war due to Moscow’s attacks.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left millions of people with disrupted light, heating and water supplies in freezing temperatures, pushing the war-ravaged country toward a humanitarian crisis.
“Because of the cold, extreme cold… I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kiev and its cities and towns for a week during this period,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
“It’s extraordinary. It’s not just cold, it’s extraordinarily cold. Record cold, they have the same thing there, it’s a big pile of bad weather,” Trump added, comparing it to the current cold snap in Washington.
“They have never experienced such cold. And I personally asked President Putin not to shoot at Kiev and the various cities for a week. And he agreed to do that, and I have to tell you: it was a lot of fun.”
‘Real progress’ in ending the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday he expected the pause to continue.
“Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates. We expect the agreements to be implemented,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war.”
There was no immediate response from the Kremlin, but Trump – whose Alaska summit with the Russian leader ended without a breakthrough last August – said he was confident Putin would honor the agreement.
“I have to tell you, people said, ‘Don’t waste this call. You’re not going to get that.’ And he did it,” Trump said.
“And we’re very happy that they did it, because besides, that’s not what they need: rockets coming into their towns and cities.”
Drastic temperature drop
Ukraine’s state weather agency on Thursday predicted a drastic drop in temperatures to minus 30 degrees Celsius in the coming days as authorities rush to restore services.
Zelensky warned in an evening speech on Wednesday against new Russian attacks on energy facilities.
Trump added that “a lot of progress” has been made in US-mediated talks between Kiev and Moscow to end Russia’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbor, which will soon enter its fifth year.
Russian attacks killed six people in central and southern Ukraine on Thursday, regional authorities and emergency services said.
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