US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for one week, a pause he said he personally requested as temperatures across the region plunge to life‑threatening lows.
The Kremlin offered no immediate confirmation, leaving uncertainty over whether Moscow intends to honor the proposed pause.
Russia has spent months targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in an effort to break public resolve, leaving millions to face winter with unstable heat and power. Trump said he appealed directly to Putin during a recent call, asking him to stop firing on major population centers during what he described as “extraordinary cold.” According to Trump, Putin agreed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment earlier Thursday when asked whether a mutual halt on strikes against energy facilities was under discussion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who warned late Wednesday that Moscow was preparing another large‑scale assault, cautiously welcomed the “possibility” of a pause. He stressed that power supply is essential for life, especially as Ukraine enters a brutal cold spell. Temperatures in some regions are forecast to fall to –30°C (–22°F) in the coming days.
Trump did not specify when his call with Putin took place or when the ceasefire would begin. The White House has not yet clarified the timing or scope of the proposed pause in a war nearing its fourth year.
Ukraine has long accused Russia of “weaponizing winter” by targeting heating, water, and power systems. According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, last year was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since the full‑scale invasion began in 2022, with 2,514 killed and more than 12,000 injured, a 31 percent increase from the previous year.
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