US President Donald Trump said he personally urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week due to extreme winter conditions, claiming that Moscow agreed to the request.
Speaking to reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the Oval Office, Trump said the pause was sought on humanitarian grounds as temperatures plunged across the region.
Also Read | Donald Trump claims President Putin agreed to one-week ceasefire amid Ukraine’s extreme cold
“Because of the cold, extreme cold… I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns, for a week” Trump said. “He agreed to do that. We are happy that they did it.”
.@SEPeaceMissions: "We had five Russian generals last Sunday in Abu Dhabi... and we think we made a lot of progress..."@POTUS: "Because of the cold, extreme cold... I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns..." pic.twitter.com/UZAHSjTjVu
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 29, 2026
He added that Ukrainian authorities were initially sceptical but later welcomed the move as the country was “struggling badly” amid severe weather.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Kremlin on any formal or partial ceasefire.
Ukraine welcomes move, cites winter hardship
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the development and thanked Washington for the initiative.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said uninterrupted power supply was critical for survival during the harsh winter.
“Power supply is a foundation of life. We value the efforts of our partners to help us protect lives. Thank you, President Trump,” he wrote, adding that teams from both sides had discussed the matter in the United Arab Emirates and expected the agreement to be honoured.
We are communicating with our partners – with the American side – about truly effective formats and truly necessary results.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир ЗеленÑький (@ZelenskyyUa) January 29, 2026
Ukraine is ready for meetings, Ukraine is ready for decisions, and we expect our partners to be able to act as effectively as possible – in Europe, in… pic.twitter.com/vmvVIK52rs
Zelenskyy also noted that restoration work was underway but described it as “extremely difficult” after repeated strikes on energy infrastructure.
Attacks on energy grid had worsened crisis
In recent weeks, Russian missile and drone strikes have targeted Ukraine’s power and heating systems, leaving thousands of apartments without heat during sub-zero temperatures. Emergency crews have been working to restore electricity and heating in parts of Kyiv after fresh strikes last weekend.
Also Read | Texas announces one-year visa freeze under Trump administration, Indians among worst hit
No large-scale air attacks were reported on Thursday, though Russia had carried out strikes earlier in the week.
On the same day, Moscow said it had again invited Zelenskyy for peace talks, as diplomatic efforts led by the United States intensified to find an off-ramp to the nearly four-year war.
