US President Donald Trump has said Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to temporarily halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for one week, citing extreme winter conditions that have placed severe pressure on the country’s battered infrastructure.
Trump made the claim during a cabinet meeting at the White House, saying he personally appealed to Putin to pause strikes as freezing temperatures tighten their grip on Ukraine. Russian attacks on power facilities in recent weeks have disrupted electricity, heating and water supplies for millions, raising fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis.
“Because of the cold, extreme cold… I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this,” Trump said, describing the conditions as “record-setting cold.” He added that Ukraine was facing weather similar to the severe cold snap recently experienced in Washington.
“They’ve never experienced cold like that,” Trump said. “And I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week. And he agreed to do that. It was very nice.”
There was no immediate confirmation from the Kremlin. However, Trump said he believed Putin would honour the agreement, despite previous diplomatic efforts — including a summit in Alaska last August — failing to yield a major breakthrough.
“I have to tell you, people said, ‘don’t waste the call. You’re not going to get that.’ And he did it,” Trump said. “We’re very happy they did it, because on top of everything else, that’s not what they need — missiles coming into their towns and cities.”
Ukraine’s state weather agency has warned that temperatures could plunge to as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius in the coming days, as authorities race to restore basic services. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also cautioned that further Russian attacks on energy infrastructure remain a threat, even as emergency repairs continue.
Trump said there had been “a lot of progress” in US-brokered discussions between Kyiv and Moscow aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is approaching its fifth year.
Despite the reported pause agreement, Russian strikes on Thursday killed six people in central and southern Ukraine, according to regional authorities and emergency services.
