President Trump said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to his request to halt missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine for a week because of the extreme cold in the country.
Why it matters: Russian strikes have left many Ukrainians without power or heat at a time when temperatures are well below freezing. Pausing the strikes would be a significant step, as attempts to freeze the population into submission are a clear element of Russia's strategy.
- U.S. officials hope to leverage such confidence-building measures in peace negotiations.
- But a Ukrainian official was initially skeptical, telling Axios: "Only the reality itself can prove it. We will see how tonight goes."
- Earlier on Thursday, the Kremlin declined to comment on reports in Russian social media that such a pause had been agreed.
What he's saying: "I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week and he agreed to do that, and I have to tell you it was very nice," Trump said.
Driving the news: The Russians have been conducting massive air strikes on Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine almost every night. The strikes hit power plants and created wide-ranging blackouts.
- Millions of Ukrainian civilians have been suffering without heat or running water.
Behind the scenes: A Ukrainian official said U.S. mediators raised this issue during trilateral talks with the Russians last weekend in Abu Dhabi.
- At the time the Russians said they would look into it, but it wasn't clear whether they had agreed, according to the Ukrainian official.
- "Our teams discussed this in the United Arab Emirates. We expect the agreements to be implemented. De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X.
- Witkoff said at the Cabinet meeting that the first round of talks had focused on territory and claimed significant progress was made.
What's next: Witkoff said a second round of trilateral talks between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia would take place "in about a week."
