United States President Donald Trump on Thursday disclosed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to suspend missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities and towns for one week, citing the severe winter cold that has compounded hardship for millions of civilians already struggling with disrupted power supplies.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said he had personally requested the pause from Putin because of the “extreme cold” gripping Ukraine.
“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 told the meeting.
“It’s extraordinary. It’s not just like cold, it’s extraordinary cold. Record-setting cold, over there too, they are having the same, it’s a big pile of bad weather,” he continued, drawing a comparison to the cold snap affecting Washington.
“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.”
Trump expressed confidence that Putin would honour the commitment, noting that some advisers had doubted he would secure the concession.
“I have to tell you, people said, ‘don’t waste the call. You’re not going to get that.’ And he did it,” the US president said. “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.”
There was no immediate confirmation or response from the Kremlin to Trump’s announcement.
The reported agreement comes against the backdrop of intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure over recent months, which have left millions facing prolonged blackouts, intermittent heating, and limited water supplies as temperatures plummet. Ukraine’s state weather service has forecast drops to as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius in the coming days, prompting urgent efforts by authorities to repair damaged facilities.
On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of new Russian assaults on energy sites. Regional authorities and emergency services reported that Russian attacks on Thursday killed six people in central and southern parts of the country.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched on 24 February 2022, is now nearing the end of its fourth year and will soon enter its fifth. The conflict, which followed Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in the eastern Donbas region, has seen repeated waves of attacks on civilian infrastructure, particularly during winter months when energy systems become critical for survival. Previous cold seasons have brought similar large-scale strikes aimed at crippling power generation and distribution, leading to widespread humanitarian concerns.
Trump referenced ongoing US-brokered negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, stating there had been “a lot of progress” toward ending the war. The US president held a summit with Putin in Alaska last August, though that meeting concluded without a major breakthrough.
The reported temporary halt, if implemented, would offer a brief respite for repair crews working to restore electricity and heating ahead of the predicted extreme freeze, though the broader conflict shows no immediate sign of resolution.
