Trump Says Putin Agreed to Temporary Pause in Strikes on Kyiv Amid Freezing Weather
WASHINGTON, Jan 29: U.S. President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to temporarily halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for one week due to severe winter conditions, as diplomatic efforts to ease the conflict continue.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said the pause was requested in light of extreme cold affecting Ukraine, where Russian strikes have disrupted heating and electricity supplies.
“We asked President Putin if they could stop the shooting for a week,” Trump said. “It’s extremely cold in Ukraine, and he agreed to do that. We appreciated it very much.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the initiative, saying it would help prevent further damage to energy infrastructure at a critical time. Recent Russian air strikes have left hundreds of apartment buildings in Kyiv without power and heating during freezing temperatures.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said emergency crews were still working to restore services, noting that 454 apartment buildings remained without heat as temperatures fell to minus 10 degrees Celsius, with colder conditions expected in the coming days.
“There is an expectation that these agreements will be implemented,” Zelenskiy wrote on social media platform X, adding that de-escalation steps could help advance efforts to end the war.
In his nightly address, Zelenskiy thanked the United States for its involvement, saying he hoped Washington would succeed in ensuring a halt to strikes on energy targets. However, he cautioned that the real test would be whether attacks actually stop in the days ahead.
There was no immediate response from Moscow. Earlier, Russia had again invited Zelenskiy to hold talks in Moscow—an offer the Ukrainian leader has repeatedly rejected.
The United States has intensified diplomatic engagement in recent months in an effort to bring an end to the nearly four-year-old conflict, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two. Negotiators from the United States, Russia and Ukraine held rare three-way discussions last weekend in the United Arab Emirates.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said talks had made progress, including discussions on territorial issues, security guarantees and post-war recovery. He indicated that negotiations would resume within a week, with another meeting scheduled for Sunday.
Ukraine continues to reject Russian demands to relinquish full control of its eastern Donbas region, including areas not fully occupied by Russian forces.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed skepticism over potential U.S.-backed security guarantees for Ukraine, questioning whether such arrangements could ensure lasting peace if they were aimed at preserving Ukraine’s current political leadership.
— Reuters