President Donald Trump of the United States announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to cease attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week. This pause comes as Ukraine grapples with its most challenging winter since the conflict began, with Russian strikes severely impacting the nation.

The continuous barrage on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has left millions struggling without reliable access to electricity, heating, and water amid frigid temperatures. These conditions are pushing the war-torn country closer to a humanitarian crisis.

During a cabinet meeting at the White House, President Trump stated, “Due to the extreme cold, I personally requested President Putin to refrain from firing on Kyiv and surrounding areas for a week.” He emphasized the severity of the weather, describing it as extraordinarily cold, and noted that similar weather conditions were affecting Washington.

Emphasizing the unprecedented nature of the cold, Trump remarked, “They’ve never experienced cold like that before. I personally asked President Putin to hold off on attacks for a week, and he graciously agreed. I must say, it was a very considerate gesture.”

“They’ve never experienced cold like that. And 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.”

‘Real progress’ to ending the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday he expected the pause to go ahead.

“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 reaction from the Kremlin, but Trump — whose summit in Alaska with the Russian leader last August ended without a breakthrough — said he trusted Putin to honour the agreement.

“I have to tell you, people said, ‘don’t waste the call. You’re not going to get that.’ And he did it,” said Trump.

“And we’re very happy that they did it, because on top of everything else, that’s not what they need is missiles coming into their towns and cities.”

Drastic dip in temperatures

Ukraine’s state weather agency on Thursday forecast a drastic dip in temperatures to as low as minus 30C in coming days as authorities race to restore services.

Zelenskyy warned in an evening address on Wednesday of fresh Russian attacks on energy facilities.

Trump added that there had been “a lot of progress” in US-brokered talks between Kyiv and Moscow to end Russia’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbour, 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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