US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed not to target Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for one week during a period of extreme cold.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said he made the request directly to Putin because of the severe winter conditions in Ukraine.
“I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this … extraordinary cold,” Trump said, adding that Putin has “agreed to that”.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s power and heating infrastructure during the war, leaving many civilians without electricity and heat during winter. Ukrainian officials have described this strategy as “weaponising winter”.
Trump said he was pleased with Putin’s response. “A lot of people said, ‘Don’t waste the call. You’re not going to get that,’” he said. “And he did it. And we’re very happy that they did it.”
Ukraine is expected to face extremely low temperatures starting Friday, with some areas forecast to see temperatures drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius, according to emergency services.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks continue. A drone strike killed three people in the Zaporizhzhia region overnight, while two others were injured in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian officials said.
